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LIFE OF THE 



Rev. Calvin S. Gerhard, D. D, 



Edited by the 

REV. THOMAS W. DICKERT, A.M. 

Pastor St. Stephen's Reformed Cburcb 
READING. PENNSYLVANIA 




PHILADELPHIA 

SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD OF THE REFORMED CHURCH 
IN THE UNITED STATES 



.0-3 Us" 




Copyright 1904 
Br Thomas W. Dickert 



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TO THE 

Sxtrutunrs of tte ©erterd Famtig 

EMMA ELIZABETH GERHARD 

CHARLES HERBERT GERHARD 

FREDERICK BRUCE GERHARD 

THIS BOOK IS INSCRIBED 

WITH SYMPATHETIC AFFECTION 



PREFACE 




VER since his assumption of the work 
laid down by Dr. Gerhard, the editor 
had the desire of paying some tribute 
of love and esteem to the character 
and work of his worthy predecessor. 
As he became better acquainted with 
the nobility of the former and the 
magnitude of the latter, this desire 
grew stronger, until it assumed a 
definite purpose, of which this volume is the result, 
and we humbly present it to the public with the 
hope that it may help to perpetuate the memory of 
a noble and consecrated servant of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, who, in the spirit of his Master, gave him- 
self for others. 

We felt unequal to the task of presenting every 
phase of this useful man's life and character, and 
called upon a number of representative brethren in 
the Church, who knew him intimately and could 
speak with authority on their respective subjects, 
to assist us in the undertaking. That they have 
faithfully and.most excellently done so, may be seen 
by reading the chapters which they have contrib- 
uted to this book. 

Before finishing our task, which was undertaken 
and prosecuted as a labor of love, there remains the 
pleasant duty of expressing our gratitude to all who 
contributed toward the accomplishment of our pur- 



VI PKEFACE 

pose and the completion of our work. We desire to 
thank the authors of the respective chapters for 
their hearty response to our request for a contribu- 
tion, although, without an exception, they are busy- 
men and had to perform their work under the stress 
of many exacting duties ; to Mrs. C. S. Gerhard, 
the widow of the subject of this volume, for infor- 
mation given, and especially for the presentation 
of the excellent portrait which appears as a front- 
ispiece in the book ; to Messrs. Daniel Miller, 
Alvin J. Shartle, Fred. A. Krauss, Samuel E. 
Moyer and Robert H. DeLong, for valuable assist- 
ance in looking up the files of the Church papers, 
from which we quote extensively in the last chap- 
ter; to Mr. Edward S. Lamar, Librarian of the 
Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church in 
the United States, Lancaster, Pa., for many courte- 
sies shown ; to the members of the Seminary 
Ralston Club for their hospitality ; to Miss Sallie 
R. Kline and the members of her Sunday-school 
class, for the large number of advance subscribers 
secured ; to all who showed their confidence in the 
volume by subscribing for it in advance ; and to 
the printer and binder for the accuracy and excel- 
lence of their work. 

Now the book, with all its virtues and all its de- 
fects, is yours. 

The Editor. 
Reading, Pa., December 15, 1904. 



CONTENTS 

Page 

Introduction 9 

Chapter L 
Dr. Gerhard a3 a Man (Biographical Sketch) 17 

Chapter IL 
Dr. Gerhard as a Student .... 75 

Chapter III. 
Dr. Gerhard as a Christian Minister . . 87 

Chapter IV. 
Dr. Gerhard as a Pastor .... 107 

Chapter V. 
Dr. Gerhard and the Church at Large . 133 

Chapter VI. 
Dr. Gerhard as a Theologian . . . 149 

Chapter VIL 
Db. Gerhard as an Author .... 167 



INTRODUCTION 



By the Rev. John S. Stahr, D.D., LL.D, 

President Franklin and Marshall College, 
Lancaster, Penn'a 



INTRODUCTION 




LIFE like that of the late Calvin S. 
Gerhard, D.D., touching- so many- 
other lives, and exerting in its many- 
sided activity so marked an influence 
upon friends and associates, upon the 
community in which he lived and the 
Church to which he belonged, will not 
speedily be forgotten. The following 
pages, containing tributes of friend- 
ship and affection and an estimate of the man and 
his labors from those who are well qualified for the 
work of love which they have undertaken, are in- 
tended not simply to keep his memory fresh in the 
minds of those who knew him. They have the 
deeper purpose to bring into clear view the charac- 
teristics of mind and heart which made Dr. Gerhard 
a prominent figure in his day and generation and 
to set forth the principles which he cherished in the 
course of his life, as he grew from stage to stage of 
development as a Christian minister and a profound 
student of science and theology. It is hoped that 
in this way they will prove helpful and stimulating, 
serving to continue his influence and to perpetuate 
his work, even though he has been called away 
from the scene of his earthly labors and his place 
here shall know him no more. 

It was the privilege of the writer while he was 
still a student at college, to learn to know Dr. Ger- 
hard after he had graduated from his Alma Mater. 



12 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

It was really arranged between us that we should 
be room-mates in the Theological Seminary at Mer- 
cersburg, in the autumn of 1867. The writer did 
not have the privilege of entering the Seminary at 
the time, but he remained in close touch with his 
friend from that time, and many a discussion of 
philosophical and theological questions between us 
proved mutually stimulating and helpful. In this 
way the writer had ample opportunity to know Dr. 
Gerhard's native powers, his literary, philosophical 
and theological attainments, the tendency of his 
mind, and the deeper traits of personality, his large 
heart and generous disposition, which knit him so 
closely to his friends and acquaintances. 

Dr. Gerhard was a well-rounded man, and the 
tendrils of his nature reached out in many different 
directions. This was felt by all who had the privi- 
lege of knowing him, and the fact is amply demon- 
strated in the pages of this little volume. There 
are, however, two special traits or characteristics 
of the man to which it may be proper to call atten- 
tion in this connection. The first is a high order 
of intellectual strength, keenness of mind, eager- 
ness for knowledge and a desire to know the truth ; 
the other we may characterize by the general term 
loyalty— loyalty to his friends, loyalty to the truth, 
loyalty to the faith which he professed. 

It was the privilege of Dr. Gerhard in his college 
days to come under the influence of great teachers, 
and he profited by their instruction. He came out 
of college not only with a well trained mind, better 



INTKODUCTION 13 

trained perhaps than that of the average college 
student, but also with an insight into the nature of 
scientific, philosophical and theological problems 
such as few students in our American colleges pos- 
sess. It was but natural, therefore, that as he 
came in contact with men of force and ability in 
art, science and literature, he should eagerly take 
up the different lines of thought and inquiry, and 
push his research for the truth in the various direc- 
tions which were open to him. As a theological 
student and a minister of the Gospel, theological 
questions, of course (aside from the care of souls, 
in which he was most faithful), claimed his first 
attention, but he soon perceived that theological 
questions in this age are so intertwined with ques- 
tions of science and philosophy that the latter must 
in the nature of the case be earnestly studied if 
any one would do justice to the former. 

This accounts for the fact that Dr. Gerhard's 
reading took a wide range in the departments of 
natural science and sociology, as well as in philoso- 
phy and theology. The writer was especially im- 
pressed with this fact when, before the publication 
of * * Death and the Resurrection, ' ' he had submitted 
to him the larger part of the manuscript of this 
work, and many of the points involved were freely 
discussed with Dr. Gerhard. He showed not only 
that he had read and studied carefully, but also that 
he had thought long and profoundly on the various 
problems involved, and no one will hesitate to give 



14 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

him the meed of praise for wide and accurate schol- 
arship in the fields to which we have referred. 

A man who becomes a close student naturally 
grows enthusiastic in the pursuit of the different 
lines of inquiry which he is endeavoring to follow, 
and this was pre-eminently true of Dr. Gerhard. 
But he was just as enthusiastic in his loyalty as he 
was in the pursuit of knowledge. He was, first of 
all, loyal to the truth ; as a careful inquirer it was 
always his purpose to ascertain where the truth 
lay, and when, as he thought, he had found it, he 
would stand by it with unflagging devotion. He 
had the courage of his convictions, and he would 
maintain these convictions with great boldness, 
sometimes, his friends thought, with unnecessary 
boldness ; but to judge of this it is necessary to 
take into account the whole attitude of the man. 
He was just as loyal in his faith, in the apprehen- 
sion of those things which come not by searching, 
but through the revelation of the Spirit of God. 
No doubt he tried to reconcile his views of science, 
history and philosophy with his faith in the super- 
natural character of the Gospel ; but whatever his 
views were, there can be no doubt of his absolute 
acceptance of Christ as the Son of God, and of 
Christianity as the one hope of the world. It was 
refreshing to hear him preach and pray; and there 
are many who remember with what enthusiastic 
devotion he spoke of the power of the Gospel, and 
quoted eminent representatives of the best type of 
a living Christianity. The writer remembers 



ENTRODUCTION 15 

having given him a letter of introduction to Bishop 
Vincent, at Chautauqua, where it was his privilege 
to meet Principal Fairbairn. He had also met and 
heard Moody and Campbell Morgan. It was re- 
freshing to hear him speak of these men and of 
their message, and to set forth with unfaltering 
trust his own faith in our common Lord and Master. 
He could not have wielded the influence he pos- 
sessed as a pastor, he could not have been a leader 
of men in the Church to which he belonged, es- 
pecially among the younger men and in the pro- 
gressive movements of the Church, if there had 
not been this stanch loyalty to the faith, this 
profound apprehension of the power of the Gospel, 
to save, even unto the uttermost, all them that 
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Perhaps Dr. Gerhard appeared to the best advan- 
tage in the bosom of his family ; but here we are 
on sacred ground, and we may not speak in this 
connection of what he was as husband and father, 
except in the most incidental way. The writer 
may, however, perhaps be permitted to say that he 
was never more deeply impressed with the strength 
of Dr. Gerhard, on the one hand, and his simple, 
childlike faith on the other, than in the last inter- 
view which he had with him in his own house. 
Standing in the shadow of a similar great bereave- 
ment, the loss of promising sons, the conversation 
naturally turned toward the future life, and here a 
profound insight into the things which lie this side 
of the borderland, and the inability of the natural 



16 THE LITE OF DR. GERHARD 

eye to see beyond, coupled with great faith in the 
absolute certainty of those things which are set 
forth in the Gospel of Christ, were plainly manifest. 
The frame of mind shown by Dr. Gerhard at the 
time was in harmony with the development of his 
whole life, and it may perhaps be most fitly ex- 
pressed in the words of Tennyson : 

** Thou wilt not leave us in the dust, 

Thou madest man, he knows not why, 
He thinks he was not made to die; 
And Thou hast made him ; Thou art just. 

**Thou seemest human and divine; 

The highest, holiest manhood Thou; 
Our wills are ours, we know not how, 
Our wills are ours to make them Thine. 

** Our little systems have their day; 

They have their day and cease to be; 
They are but broken lights of Thee, 
And Thou, O Lord, art more than they. 

** We have but faith; we cannot know, 
For knowledge is of things we see; 
And yet we trust it comes from Thee, 
A beam in darkness; let it grow. 

Let knowledge grow from more to more, 
But more of reverence in us dwell. 
That mind and soul, according well, 

May make one music, as before. '' 



CHAPTER I. 
Dr. Gerhard as a Man 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



By the Rev. D. W. Gerhard, D.D. 

Lancaster, Penn'a 

Pastor Salem Reformed Church at Heller's, 
Lancaster County, Penn'a 



CHAPTER I. 

Dr. Gerhard as a Man. 




EV. Calvin Seibert Gerhard, D.D., 

was by descent, as well as by educa- 
tion and choice, a life-long member of 
the Reformed Church. His great- 
great - grandfather, Frederick Ger- 
hard, who emigrated from Longensel- 
bold, Hesse Cassel, Germany, to Amer- 
ica, in 1737, and settled in Berks 
County, Pa., was a stanch upholder 
of the Reformed faith. The same is true of the 
father, grandfather and great-grandfather. No 
less thoroughly devoted to the Reformed Church 
were his ancestors on the maternal side. 

His parents were Rev. William T. Gerhard and 
his wife Elizabeth, the daughter of Jacob and Eliz- 
abeth Seibert. Eight children were born to them, 
five sons and three daughters. The fifth one was 
Calvin Seibert, who first saw the light of day Octo- 
ber 3, A.D. 1845. The family then resided in Nock- 
amixon Township, near Kintnerville, Bucks County, 
Pa. A few years later Durham Township came to 
be the place of residence. It was in this place, at 
Rufe's school, that the children received the 
elements of a common school education. The 
father was, in his early years, himself a school 
teacher, and always continued to take a deep inter- 
est in the public schools then being first introduced. 
He interested himself in having the best teachers 



20 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

that could be secured, and in this way helped to 
furnish for his own children, and others of the 
community, the very best conditions for mental 
training the public schools in those early years of 
their history afforded. 

The home training of the children was also 
greatly to their advantage. Father Gerhard was 
not only a successful pastor and a preacher of con- 
siderable ability, but he was firm and judicious in 
the ruling of his family. In this he was greatly 
strengthened by the devoted and faithful assistance 
of his life companion, the mother of his children. 
She was of a very reserved disposition, quiet and 
mild in her manner, but there was a simplicity in 
her faith, a single-mindedness in her devotion to 
her children, and to the work to which her husband 
was consecrated, that made her a tower of strength 
wherever she was known. Her education was 
mainly in the German language — she rarely ever 
spoke in English, — ^but her intimate acquaintance 
with sacred Scripture, and her spiritual-mindedness 
gave her a good preparation to enjoy the services 
of God's house even though conducted in the Eng- 
lish language. In later years, when the family re- 
sided in Lancaster, Rev. Dr. H. Harbaugh was her 
favorite English preacher. She was wont to say 
she could get more nourishment for her soul from 
his preaching than from any other. This was at 
the time when Dr. N. C. Schaeffer says: "His 
(Dr. Harbaugh's) sermons were fresh, interesting, 
instructive, and edifying. An audience composed 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 21 

largely of students and professors is very hard to 
please and very difficult to hold. Of their own 
accord the students of the College flocked to his 
church and filled his pews." Compared with the 
privileges these hearers enjoyed, those of mother 
Gerhard had been very limited, but her consecra- 
tion to the service of her Saviour, her fidelity in 
every relation of life, fitted her to sit side by side 
with students and professors to enjoy the preaching 
of Dr. Harbaugh when not attending the German 
services conducted by her own husband. 

Where father and mother were thus both faith- 
ful in their several spheres, the children enjoyed 
the benefits that result from a positive Christian 
atmosphere in their daily experience. * ' Huebner's 
Bible Stories," and such publications as *'Peep of 
Day," ''Line Upon Line," ''Here a Little and 
There a Little," and others of a similar character, 
were at the service of the household, and besides 
these, the daily reading of the Bible was encour- 
aged, and on Sunday evenings it was customary 
to have each one of the children, according to age, 
relate what had been read during the day. In this 
way the parents not only had supervision of the 
reading that was done by their children, but also 
succeeded in drilling them in their knowledge of 
the Scriptures. 

During the winter of 1856-57 it was my privilege 
to teach the home school, my four brothers, all 
younger than myself, being scholars, and in the 
spring — at the close of the term — we gave an ex- 



22 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

hibition of work accomplished during the winter, 
the same being held in Durham Church. The 
opening prayer was made by the subject of this 
sketch. The prayer was written by the teacher, 
but committed and delivered by the one selected 
from among all the others as best suited for the 
place, and so it happened that Calvin Seibert 
Gerhard made his first public prayer in Durham 
Church, when he was eleven years of age. 

The year 1858 was an important one in the life of 
our family. I had entered the Allentown Seminary 
(later the site of Muhlenberg College) late during 
the preceding year, and now, in the fall of this year, 
entered the Freshman class of Franklin and Mar- 
shall College at Lancaster. Several events occurred 
about this time that were of great importance to 
the family — particularly to the five sons. 

In the first place, the question must be decided 
where to enter college. A collegiate training and 
preparation for the ministry, had meanwhile been 
decided upon in my own case, but now the four 
brothers also became desirous of a college training. 
Accordingly father and myself took a trip to Easton 
to see about my entrance into Lafayette College. 
Fortunately, our first step was to call on Rev. John 
Beck, then pastor of the Third Street Reformed 
Church. The result was, that, without seeing a sol- 
itary one of the professors of Lafayette College, we 
went home and prepared for my entrance into 
Franklin and Marshall soon after. This fact is noted 
here because of the important questions that were 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 23 

once for all settled. Whether the family should 
continue to live on the farm twelve miles distant 
from the College, where the oldest son was pur- 
suing his studies under a Presbyterian environment, 
or whether he should become a leader for others to 
follow in becoming a student in the College which 
represented the denominational life of the family, 
was settled by the friendly advice of pastor Beck. 

Another question that confronted the family 
was whether the father should continue to serve 
his Master in the field in which he had been 
signally successful for fifteen years past. The 
question was one which called for serious consider- 
ation. In the neighborhood of Lancaster there 
were a number of weak congregations that needed 
the services of a faithful pastor and preacher. 
Here there seemed to be a providential opening 
for removal to the college town of our own Church. 
But this involved separation from what we all 
regarded as a very desirable pastoral field, and 
from a large circle of most devoted friends and 
parishioners. While the whole situation was under 
consideration and discussion by the parents and 
children, one day a family consultation was held, 
at which each one was requested to put down in 
writing an answer to the difficult question. Calvin 
wrote, ''I say we go." In after years he often 
spoke with satisfaction of his opinion as expressed 
at that time. 

Suffice it to say, that in due time the matter was 
decided in the affirmative, the family moved to 



24 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

Lancaster in the spring of 1859, the father at once 
entered upon an important work in attending to 
the spiritual interests of a number of country con- 
gregations, the sons were started in a course of 
study of higher education, and both father and 
mother lived to see their five sons graduate from 
college, two of them enter the Christian ministry, 
two the medical profession, the other one — Jacob 
Alfred — dying in his 26th year, while a middler in 
the Theological Seminary. Calvin was for several 
years a pupil in the Lancaster High School, prepar- 
ing for admission into college in 1861. Early dur- 
ing college life he developed a fondness for reading, 
writing and public speaking. He wished to study 
law, but had, however, also at the same time a 
strong feeling that he ought to enter the ministry. 
Father took the ground that he would give his boys 
the best possible opportunity for securing a good 
education, but each one must choose for himself the 
profession to which to devote his life. For awhile 
Calvin tried to rid himself of the call to the min- 
istry — ^but all to no purpose. The more he consid- 
ered the question the more did he feel convinced 
that he must, in order to be true to himself, preach 
the Gospel of Christ to a dying world. In 1865 he 
graduated from college with the highest honors, 
delivering the valedictory on that occasion. His 
senior oration gives a good idea of his ability at that 
time, being then only in his twentieth year. He 
wrote as follows : 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 25 

The history of the world must be regarded as a liv- 
ing organism in which the irresistible onward move- 
ment of humanity, the struggle of ages to actualize in 
full the deep meaning of life, may be fairly represented. 
The different nations of the earth, pervaded by the life 
power and principle of the whole, form the members of 
this organic body. Some nations, because they are not 
in vital union with it, merely form material for this 
structure. Only those are historical which exercise a 
determining influence on the progress of humanity, and 
which are incorporated into its very life and being. 
There is a central power in history which must be 
recognized by every true student of the science. Christ 
is that centre. He is the pivot on which the mighty 
structure rests and around which it revolves. Ancient 
history prepared the way for the great mystery of the 
Incarnation and modern history is but the expansion 
and development of it." 

As still further illustrating his manner of thought 
and style of writing at this time, let the following 
extract from his valedictory oration speak for him. 
Addressing the professors he said : 

*'By you we were taught to believe that Christ lives 
and moves in history ; that it is His all-powerful arm 
which guides and controls the destiny of nations and 
assigns each one its place in the grand drama of the 
world's history. Through you we learned that Science 
and Philosophy must bow their heads to Him and 
acknowledge Him as the principle of all truth. Yea, 
that all things, whether in heaven above, or the earth 
beneath, or under the earth, are perfect but in the degree 
in which they acknowledge Him to be Lord of all." 

Two years were spent in teaching at Fayette- 
ville, Franklin County, and Oley Academy, Fried- 



26 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

ensburg, Berks County, Pa. The thoroughness 
which had characterized the student was also 
evident in the teacher. While there was a relaxa- 
tion from the kind of work done in the college 
class room, there was nevertheless also a ripening 
of manly powers, and in the fall of 1867 Calvin S. 
Gerhard was enrolled as a student of theology in 
the Seminary at Mercersburg. Three years of 
earnest study were spent here, and after gradua- 
tion in 1870, a call came to him from the First 
Reformed Church in Sunbury, Pa. 

PASTORATE AT SUNBURY. 

Here he entered upon his work with characteris- 
tic energy, and at once met with marked success. 
His sermons gave evidence of careful preparation, 
and were delivered with a power that gave him 
high rank as a preacher of the Gospel. New life 
was awakened throughout the congregation, and 
was felt beyond its immediate bounds. 

His marriage to Miss Emma Elizabeth Glase, of 
Friedensburg, Berks County, Pa. , October 12, 1871, 
was for him a fortunate event. Twelve months had 
passed by since his ordination. He had his work 
well in hand, and now, by bringing a helpmeet 
admirably suited to the responsible position of a 
pastor's wife, he strengthened his own hands, and 
added dignity to the character of his work. What 
added still more to the power of the young pastor 
was the fact that as pastor he at once developed 
tact of a high order. He knew how to approach the 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 



27 



people, how to enter into their joys, their sorrows 
and their trials. Wherever troubles existed — of 
whatever kind they might be — he made them a 
personal matter with himself, and in this way he 
became a successful student of human nature, as 
well as an earnest student of the Word of God. His 
ministry at Sunbury was a happy and an unusually 
successful one. 
Elder George Hill, of Sunbury, says : 

" Your brother, my esteemed friend Calvin, received 
from the Sunbury charge a unanimous call, and, on Oc- 
tober 4, 1870, was ordained and installed as pastor. 
He came here well equipped for his work and met with 
decided success. He and I were much together and 
kept in close touch with the various contentions then 
taking place among those standing at the head of the 
Church at large. Our views were identical. On all 
questions involving doctrine and theology we fully 
agreed. I learned much from him, and, on account of 
my age and experience, I was able to render him some 
assistance. No one regretted more than I did his de- 
termination to sever his relations with our congrega- 
tion. In looking back, however, I regard his step as 
providential. He found a larger field of usefulness. 
He did a great work at Columbia and a still greater at 
Eeading. I was not disappointed in my conclusions as 
to his great ability as a theologian and church w^orker. 
From the time of his advent into our congregation I re- 
garded him as a rising young man. The sermon 
preached by him at our late General Synod at Baltimore 
was to me a revelation and a treat. His untimely death 
was a great shock, and a mystery as well." 

As an index to the character of his work done 
while at Sunbury, we have the three publications 



28 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

from his pen in the Mercersburg Review, as it was 
then still known, the one in 1874, the next in 1875, 
and the third in 1878. The first one of the three 
was entitled ''True Conversion and Rehgious Ex- 
perience/' Conditions the young pastor met in 
his practical ministry challenged earnest thought 
on this subject. Therefore, in accordance with the 
cast of his mind, he must know for himself not 
only what his own Church teaches on the subject, 
but also what has been taught and written on the 
subject by others, but especially must he know 
what sacred Scripture says, and on the strength of 
this authority is he prepared to state his convic- 
tions. In the course of his argument he shows 
a familiarity with the subject that is the result 
of earnest and painstaking study. Among other 
things he says : 

Formalism causes men to be satisfied with an out- 
ward religion. Pietism turns men in upon themselves, 
and makes them anxious to feel right: and their feel- 
ings then become the test and measure of their religion. 
Now, although these two extremes directly contradict 
each other, they are precisely alike in one respect — they 
both ignore Christ. Formalism seeks comfort in rites, 
ceremonies, observances, and ordinances, sundered from 
Christ. Pietism seeks comfort in experience, in feeling, 
in the emotions, without any regard to the means of 
grace. Both these forms of Christianity are unfaithful 
to Christ, and whoever falls into either one of them is 
guilty of unbelief. And just this, namely, unbelief, is 
the besetting sin of very many sincere inquirers after 
the truth.'' 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 29 

In these utterances he was not fighting a man of 
straw set up by himself. He was grappling with 
existing conditions. He had chosen the clerical 
profession because he felt called of God to preach 
the Gospel of a living Christ, and now, when, early 
in his ministerial career, he saw conditions that on 
the one hand ministered to lifeless formalism, and 
on the other to fanaticism, he went to work with 
his characteristic earnestness and wrought out for 
himself a system of truth that should avoid both 
extremes. Nor was he satisfied to state his views 
in negative terms. He was a positive character 
and must state his views in clean-cut, straight- 
forward sentences. Hence he goes on to say : 

What then is it that makes us true Christians ? 
Not our religious feelings, and pious emotions, but life 
union with Jesus Christ. How is this brought about 
and maintained ? Neither through mental and spiritual 
exercises, nor through outward observances, but by 
faith and prayer in the use of the means of grace — 
the Word of God and the Holy Sacraments. The 
Lord Jesus Christ is the source of all grace, and with- 
out His assistance in the Holy Ghost we can neither 
begin, continue nor finish the work of our personal 
salvation. Faith in him, therefore, is the one indis- 
pensable requisite whereby His grace will reach us 
and become effectual in us. In His Word and Sacra- 
ments, as means of grace. He really comes to us, and 
by faith, and prayer, as the deepest expression of faith, 
we are brought into life union with Him through these 
means. In His Word He makes known to us the 
promise of the Gospel, concretely fulfilled — become 
flesh and blood in Himself. In the Holy Sacrament of 



30 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

Baptism this fulfilled promise is signed, sealed and thus 
made over to us in our infancy. In the Holy Sacra- 
ment of the Eucharist our Lord, as the glorified Christ, 
feeds us by faith with His own body and blood, whereby 
our regenerate life is nourishsd and built up. Hence, 
true faith directs us to Christ as the Head of His mys- 
tical body, the Church, of which we are true members 
by faith in the proper use of the means of grace, and 
thus in life union with Him. Faith leads us to look 
away from ourselves to Him, our Saviour and our God; 
and the Holy Ghost helps us to bring all our burdens 
and cares to Him who alone can sustain us." 

His loyalty to the Saviour, his fidelity to the 
Church, his consistent use of the means of grace, 
and his heartfelt interest in the religious experi- 
ences of his people, all combined to give him a 
power both in the pulpit and in the social life of 
the community, that at once made him a man of 
more than ordinary significance and influence. 

The second article, namely, on the subject of 
* 'Apostolic Succession," which appeared in 1875, 
and which was afterwards published in pamphlet 
form, gave evidence of earnest study in another 
direction. ' ' The question of Apostolic succession, ' ' 
he goes on to say, '' is not an idle one, but a ques- 
tion which challenges our most serious and careful 
consideration. In it are involved consequences of 
profound and far-reaching significance for all who 
profess and call themselves Christians ; since, as 
we have seen, he alone can be a true minister of 
our Lord, invested with authority by Christ Him- 
self, to go forth in His name as His ambassador, 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 31 

representing Him in His Church, founded on the 
day of Pentecost, who has received his authority 
from Jesus Christ, through His Apostles at the 
hands of their successors . . . The Church of 
Rome lays great stress on this truth, but has pushed 
it to such an extreme as to totally obscure its real 
nature. It involves much more than such an ex- 
ternal, despotic, arbitrary union as that which the 
Roman Church endeavors to secure, at the expense 
of the Scriptures and church history, by claiming 
for the Pope, as the vice-gerent of Jesus Christ, 
and successor of Saint Peter, upon whom Jesus 
Christ founded His Church, personal infallibility 
and absolute jurisdiction over the whole Christian 
Church. We will proceed now to examine the ex- 
clusive claims of this Church, as well as those of 
the Episcopal Church, which regards itself as 
the Church par excellence, and will prove conclu- 
sively that the great Protestant non-Episcopal 
Reformation Churches of Germany, as well as all 
other Protestant bodies that have received and pre- 
served the succession of their ministry through 
Presbyters, must be acknowledged to possess a 
ministry as truly valid as that of the Roman Cath- 
olic and Episcopal Churches ; and that in spite of 
the lamentable divisions of Christendom, the bond 
of union has not been wholly severed, but that the 
different Churches are still essentially one. ' ' 

To some persons this might have seemed like a 
bold statement for a young man not yet thirty 
years of age, but he who made the statement was 



32 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

on safe ground. His article gave evidence of ex- 
tensive reading, what he read was well digested, 
and when he wrote he expressed himself with a 
conscious power, that, if it did not convince his 
opponents, at least called forth vigorous criti- 
cism. To many earnest students of the subject of 
Apostolic succession this article was very helpful 
and suggestive. Dr. J. W. Nevin said : 

"While necessarily controversial, the spirit of the 
tract is nevertheless throughout calm, dignified and 
pacific. Plainly it has not been put forth in any 
temper of mere fight or vain-glorious show. We feel 
it to be the outbirth rather of personal, practical ear- 
nestness, and true, honest inquiry, diligently bent on 
knowing the truth and willing at the same time to 
follow it out in life. This, conjoined with the other 
merits of the tract — its patient and careful learning, 
its clear method, and its simple, well-digested style — 
may well bespeak for it respectful attention; and all 
taken together renders it easy also to recommend it as 
happily fitted to do good service in the Church." 

When he wrote the article on ''True Conversion 
and ReHgious Experience'* he was deeply interested 
in the practical life of the people ; when he wrote 
on ''Apostolic Succession'' he was just as deeply 
interested in the validity of ordination in non- 
Episcopal Churches. He must know for himself 
the scriptural meaning of " True Conversion and 
Religious Experience, " in order to deal intelligently 
with his people. As for "Apostolic Succession," he 
must know the scriptural warrant for it, and also 
what the history of the Church as such — and not 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 33 

simply one branch thereof — teaches. Both of these 
subjects were of the utmost practical importance to 
him in the pulpit and in his pastoral work, and at 
the same time the complete mastery of them gave 
him a strength in his intercourse with his minis- 
terial brethren, that was everywhere felt and 
recognized. 

His thoroughness in dealing with these subjects 
was characteristic of his manner in dealing with 
other subjects as they came legitimately to his 
mind for consideration. In the third article, pub- 
lished at Sunbury in 1878, he shows that he is 
already grappling with a subject which, in after 
years, became an all-absorbing theme to him» 
** Life Beyond the Grave" is the title of that article. 
He must know, not only for himself, but to 
instruct his people, especially in his pulpit minis- 
trations, what to teach on this subject. Various 
theories were examined, and, where it was not 
possible to assert dogmatically, an attempt was 
made to state honestly the firm convictions of the 
writer, sustained as he believed they were by holy 
Scripture. It certainly was with evident pleasure 
that he wrote : 

Those who die in Christ enter at death into the joys 
of Paradise. Absent from the body, they are present 
with the Lord, in rest and peace, waiting till both they 
and we shall reach our common consummation of re- 
demption and bliss in the glorious resurrection of the 
last day. Though they go down into the realm of death 
— into the deeper region which lies beyond this world 
of time and sense — their departure is nevertheless. 



34 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

under another view, upward. ' To die is gain' to them. 
Their life beyond the grave is an advance on that of this 
world. To them the realm of death is luminous with 
the light and presence of Jesus Christ. Through Him 
Heaven reaches down into Hades, and fills the hearts of 
the faithful with its own peace and joy. ' Blessed are 
the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth ; yea, 
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors ; 
and their works do follow them.' (Rev. xiv:13). 

But as their salvation is not yet objectively complete, 
so neither is it at once subjectively perfect. Death effects 
no arbitrary or magical change. The spiritual faculties 
of the departed are no doubt quickened and enlarged ; 
the reality and meaning of their existence dawns upon 
them as never before; they recognize their relation to 
God more clearly, and understand themselves more 
fully ; but their personal identity is preserved , and their 
affections remain unaltered. Death does not produce 
love for Christ, and trust in Him. It simply opens the 
way for their fuller exercise and power. ' In the place 
where the tree falleth, there it shall lie.' (Ecc. xi:3). 
'Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' 
(Gal. vi:7)." 

While this article deals at length with the 
things which pertain to the future life, it also 
contains much thought concerning the importance 
of cultivating capacity for repentance and faith in 
this life. This gives it a practical value of no small 
moment to the active pastor. He teaches that sus- 
ceptibility for divine grace in this life conditions 
our standing in the life to come. This gives prac- 
tical value to the instruction that goes forth from 
the pulpit and makes itself felt in the social circle. 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 35 

As an evidence of frankness with which he was 
inclined to deal with persons in sickness, I cannot 
refrain from giving here an extract from the 
correspondence of my dear brother in July, 1872. 
Our youngest sister, aged 18 years, was slowly 
dying in her home at Lancaster. In a letter dated 
at Sunbury, July 8, he says : 

' ' I suppose just now the folks at home are in the 
front room upstairs a great deal because you have to 
be there. I am sorry that you must be sick during 
this warm weather. You have been sick quite a long 
time now, and when I hear that you are still so weak 
I sometimes think that perhaps our heavenly Father 
wants you to leave us and come home to Him. We 
don't like to give you up. We would much sooner 
have you stay with us, but we must all go sometime. 
And if He calls you first, dear sister EUie, you won't 
be afraid to go, will you ? You will be happier there 
with our heavenly Father and with His Son, our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ, and with the holy angels and 
the happy saints than you can ever be on earth. I 
often wish I could see that beautiful world to which 
our dear Christian friends go when they die. I try to 
love Jesus now and to please Him, but I would like to 
see Him. And if you go first, dear sister, you won't 
feel lonely, and you won't be afraid, either. Nobody 
is lonely or afraid in heaven. Jesus is so kind and so 
good, and the holy angels make everybody feel at home. ' ' 

This letter was inclosed in one to the family in 
which he says : 

" I have written the inclosed letter for Ellie. • If she 
is strong enough to read it herself I think you would 
better let her read it, if it will take her a little while to 
get through with it. 



36 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

* * I received a letter from the doctor this evening telling 
me that she is considerably worse. I think she ought 
to know that she may not get well again. You have 
told her so I suppose already, have you not ? 

' ' Do you have family worship in her room now ? I 
believe she would enjoy it if you did. If she is not 
awake when you take breakfast, why not have worship 
afterwards when she is awake ? ' ' 



These letters, the one to his sister and the other 
to the family, were, as a matter of course, written 
without the slightest expectation of ever having 
them appear in print, but they serve a good purpose 
here and have a perfect right to be put upon per- 
manent record. They bring to light a feature of 
the writer's character that would, in their absence, 
be difficult of portrayal. 

Dr. Calvin S. Gerhard had the qualifications of 
the successful pastor. His power in the pulpit, as 
universally recognized, has been already commented 
upon. His success as an essayist was established 
beyond doubt. In these letters we see him in a new 
light. He was as tender-hearted as a woman, and 
hence he would deal with the utmost frankness with 
the sick and dying, but he also possessed in a large 
measure that noble quality so important in the 
Christian ministry called by the Germans pastoral 
Klugheit, and hence would not unnecessarily alarm 
or disquiet them. He was indeed a many-sided 
man, for the same strength which he revealed in 
the pulpit and in his other work in public, came to 
light in social converse and especially in dealing 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 37 

with the sick and the unfortunate. A good illustra- 
tion of this truth we have in his notable sermon 
preached before the General Synod at Baltimore, 
Md., May, 1902: 

" Last fall I called on the parents, whom I had never 
seen, of two of my catechmnens. I went in the even- 
ing, when I knew the father, who is a stoker, would be 
at home. After an exchange of courtesies and a brief 
conversation , I said : ' You ought to come to church 
sometimes.' 'How can I?' he replied; 'I work 365 
days in a year, from six in the morning until six in the 
evening. I take off one day in the year to attend com- 
munion in my old church in the country. If I get 
sick, or am away from my work for any other reason, 
I am docked, and the other firemen have to do my 
work as well as theirs.' I will never forget the hard, 
cold look that passed over his face as he added : ' It 
seems to me the rich people don't esteem a poor man 
more than a dog.' I felt that he was wrong, because 
he failed to discriminate between selfish and benevo- 
lent employers. And yet I could not blame him, be- 
cause life as he knew it, meant one long cheerless grind, 
which could only end in death. How many in the 
world are toiling like him, and thousands even much 
worse off ! " 

The faithful pastor here reveals himself. He 
follows his catechumens to their own home, learns 
to know their environment, and here sees for 
himself the difficulties which beset the religious 
experiences of many of our people. He knows 
what the books say on the subject of pastoral visi- 
tation, for he has read extensively the views pre- 
sented by others, and has cultivated a breadth of 



38 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

thought which gives him a wide outlook, but his 
personal contact with the unlearned, the laboring 
man, the worldly minded, and the indifferent, adds 
not only to his stock of knowledge, but enlists his 
hearty sympathy in behalf of those who confront 
him in the catechetical class during the week, and 
on Sunday occupy the pews, when, as a man of 
God, he appears before them in the pulpit with a 
message from heaven. 

In his active pastorate at Sunbury, extending 
over a period of almost nine years, we see that the 
faithful pastor can also continue to be a faithful 
student. Nay, rather, his experience shows us the 
more faithfully a man in the ministry pursues sys- 
tematically a definite line of study, the more thor- 
oughly is he prepared to bring ' ' forth out of his 
treasure things new and old '' for the instruction, 
edification and guidance of his people. Everything 
that was of real benefit to the spiritual concerns of 
his people was a matter of heartfelt interest to him. 
But for this very reason he was always in the 
closest sympathy with the leaders of thought and 
progressive movements in his own denomination, 
and a deeply interested student of questions of the 
age everywhere, whether these questions pertained 
to theology, science or literature. 

The consequence was that his strength was recog- 
nized not only in his own home congregation and 
community, but in Classis, Synod and General 
Synod. His seniors in years welcomed him in the 
deliberations of the various church courts as a man 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 39 

of strong convictions and sound judgment, while 
those of his own age and younger soon saw in him 
a leader whom they were proud to follow. 

In the providence of God the time came for him 
to lay down his work at Sunbury, only, however, to 
take it up elsewhere. His pastorate in his first 
charge was a very pleasant and successful one, but 
he felt that in the call to Trinity Reformed congre- 
gation at Columbia, Pa. , a wider field of usefulness 
was open for him. The congregation at Sunbury 
gave a reluctant assent to his withdrawal from 
them, and so, after laboring there from September 
7, 1870, to July 1, 1879, he came to Columbia and 
entered with great zeal upon his work in this new 
field of labor. 

PASTORATE AT COLUMBIA. 

Here he became a missionary pastor, for the con- 
gregation at Columbia received part of its support 
from the Church at large through the Board of 
Missions. It was then, and always afterwards, 
his firm conviction that a congregation should re- 
ceive missionary aid no longer than was absolutely 
necessary. With this policy definitely settled in 
his own mind, he set to work with characteristic 
energy to lead his people in doing aggressive work. 
In his first parochial report for Columbia in the 
month of May, 1880, he said : 

' * It was our ambition to declare the congregation 
self-sustaining at the end of my first year, but on ac- 
count of losses sustained by removal and death, as well 



40 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

as on account of the dull times, which still continue in 
the community, we find it impossible to take the step. 
The discouraging feature of the Columbia Mission is the 
limited financial ability and unsettled condition of the 
people. The majority of our members are working 
people, who own no property, and leave the town at 
any time that better inducements offer themselves else- 
where. Although I have not yet dismissed any, we 
lost by removal this spring six members, a number of 
whom were active workers in the church and Sunday- 
school, one of them being superintendent of the school. ' ' 

The conditions prevailing here at the time were 
such as are always calculated to test the mettle of 
the pastor and the loyalty of the people, and there 
are many pastors similarly situated who will 
do well to take lessons from the fidelity and zeal 
here displayed. All financial obligations were 
promptly met, the Classical apportionments were 
fully paid, and other benevolent monies for needy 
causes were raised. Twenty-six were added to the 
membership, thirteen by confirmation, six by re- 
newed profession, and seven by certificate, and the 
Messenger list was increased by the addition of 
twenty-one new subscribers. While all indications 
bear testimony to the solid work performed by 
pastor and people, no fact stands more promi- 
nently to their credit than the last statement in the 
foregoing sentence. For the truly successful pastor 
is not satisfied when he secures the interest of his 
people in their own personal salvation and the 
building up of their own home congregation. He 
will have them interested in the entire denomina- 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 41 

tion to which they belong, and, as far as possible, 
in the kingdom of heaven at large. He knows very- 
well, when he induces his people to subscribe and 
pay for a church paper, and read it, that he is 
doing them a favor far beyond what many of them 
are at the time able to appreciate. Rev. C. S. 
Gerhard was too broad-minded a man himself not 
to see and feel the great importance of this truth. 
Hence, although he was at the time carrying for- 
ward his work under many discouragements, made 
all the heavier by a debt on the parsonage, yet he 
would have his people enjoy that broader outlook 
which was possible only by reading the weekly 
news which came through the Messenger from all 
the churches. 

Meanwhile, as minor indications of the practical 
work going on at home, the ''Mite Society'' took 
care of the interest on the debt of the parsonage, 
and the ''Worker's Society" made provision to 
advance the social life of the congregation. The 
good work so auspiciously begun was carried for- 
ward in the same spirit in succeeding years. The 
opening of the year 1881 gave the earnest pastor 
an opportunity to prove this truth. He says : 

* ' In addition to the usual catechetical instruction 
for the young I gave a two weeks' course of lectures on 
the Catechism immediately after the Week of Prayer. 
These services were remarkably well attended, and 
exerted a beneficial influence on the members, besides 
opening the way for a number of admissions to the 
Church." 



42 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

This short statement throws a flood of light upon 
the wisdom displayed by the pastor at Columbia. 
Whatever was of real value to the religious life of 
the community was utilized in such a way as to keep 
his people in touch with the same. Nothing was 
omitted or passed by. His people felt that they and 
their pastor were one with the Church at large as 
it affected the people of their own town and vicinity. 
But the wisdom of the pastor was just as apparent 
in the care he exercised in this, that his people 
should know the truth as it was interpreted by the 
standards of their own Church. The pastor was 
wide awake, his sermons came like messages from 
heaven, inspired with a zeal that was contagious, 
and as a result pastor and people were harmonious 
and happy in their work. 

Evidences of fidelity in the pulpit and in the pew 
are apparent in the fourth parochial report read in 
the month of May, 1883. In this report the pastor 
says : 

The Classical year which has just closed has been 
an eventful one in the history of Trinity congregation 
at Columbia. On the 15th of September last the debt 
resting on the parsonage, amounting to $1,663.40, was 
liquidated. Whereupon the consistory immediately 
passed a resolution that the congregation be declared 
self-supporting from the first of January, 1883. These 
two events, the payment of the debt, and to be consti- 
tuted a self-sustaining charge, had been anxiously 
looked forward to by the congregation for many years. 
To some congregations the amount to be raised would 
have been a small matter. For Trinity congregation it 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 43 

was an iminense undertaking, on account of the limited 
financial ability of most of its members. But, as the old 
adage says, ' Where there is a will there is a way.' By 
contributing to the utmost of their ability, and with the 
assistance of a few friends from Lancaster and Columbia, 
the good people of Trinity paid off their debt and then 
immediately resolved to relieve the Board of Missions 
from any further appropriations. This I regard as an 
unmistakable evidence of vitality and of a progressive 
spirit in the congregation. The jubilee services which 
we held in October, in honor of the successful accom- 
plishment of our undertaking, were much enjoyed by all. 
But whilst we regard ourselves as quite fortunate 
so far as raising money is concerned, in regard to some 
other matters our experience has been quite the re- 
verse. During the last year our little congregation lost 
thirteen members by removal, among whom were an 
elder, a former deacon, the superintendent of the 
Infant Department of the Sunday-school, the chorister 
of the school, and almost the entire choir of the 
church. Most of these were also regular attendants at 
prayer meeting, and teachers in the Sunday-school. Be- 
sides the thirteen that were dismissed, others of our 
members, principally young persons, have left town 
and are virtually lost to the congregation, although 
they still hold their membership with us. 

" Such wholesale removals, of course, have a de- 
pressing effect on pastor and people. Thus far, how- 
ever, we have endeavored to keep up our spirits, and 
to make the best of it. But, under the circumstances, 
it is impossible for the congregation to grow rapidly. 
It can hardly be expected to do more than hold its 
own. We report this year 185 members, a net increase 
of four over the number reported last year, although 
some five or six expect to be dismissed during the 
coming year." 



44 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

The facts set forth in the first part of this report 
indicate the culmination of a well-directed zeal to- 
wards a definite end. And those of us who in 1883 
knew the pastor of Trinity Church, Columbia, can 
distinctly detect the tone of triumph with which he 
read the account of that part of the yearns work. 
The facts stated in the latter part of his report show 
conditions that try the spirits as to what they are 
made of. It takes a brave-hearted leader, and a 
people disciplined through fiery trials, at such times 
to keep up cheerful spirits, and at the same time 
assume greater responsibilities. This discipline 
was, in this instance, the result, in part, of trying 
experiences during many years in the history of the 
congregation, and, in part, of the wise leadership 
of pastor Gerhard, and laid well the foundation for 
others in succeeding years to build thereupon. 

The conditions now were favorable for aggressive 
work. The burdensome debt on the parsonage 
removed, the congregation no longer a mission, 
but a self-sustaining charge, pastor and people 
harmonious and happy in their relations to each 
other, indications pointed to a bright and success- 
ful future. Hard work was needed to keep up the 
pace that had been set, but then pastor and people 
had been schooled in trying times, and they were 
of one mind in regard to what was needed to carry 
forward the work entrusted to their hands. Under 
such conditions it was somewhat of a shock to the 
congregation when it began to become known that 
the pastor contemplated the acceptance of a call to 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 45 

another field of labor. During the summer, over- 
tures came to him from Reading to take charge of 
an interest known as St. Stephen's, at Greenwich 
and North Ninth streets. A Sunday-school had 
been conducted there for some time, and it was 
thought by those having it in charge that the time 
was ripe for the calling of a pastor and the organi- 
zation of a congregation. In looking for an avail- 
able man the choice fell upon Rev. Calvin S. 
Gerhard, pastor of Trinity Reformed congregation, 
Columbia, Pa. And what was his answer ? 

In the new field opening up before him he saw 
an enlarged sphere of usefulness. He would be 
intimately associated with Rev. Dr. Benjamin Baus- 
man, an acknowledged leader as preacher and 
pastor, and others harmoniously working with him. 
He would labor in a field where the Reformed 
Church had for many years been a strong factor in 
the religious life of the people. That hard work 
and unfailing patience would be required to advance 
the real and spiritual interests of those with whom 
he would be associated, so as to lift up and advance 
the moral condition of the community, was also ap- 
parent. But hard work was what suited his taste 
and temperament, and as, by his preceding studies 
and activities, he had become prepared to take a 
broad and generous view of the situation, he heard 
a voice saying, ''Come over and help us.'' 

The path of duty having been made plain, the 
next step was to set vigorously to work to carry out 
the conclusion reached. The work at Columbia was 



46 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

given up to others, the call to Reading was accepted, 
and, November 1, 1883, active service in the new 
field of labor was begun. 



PASTORATE AT READING. 

The beginning here was an auspicious one. The 
new pastor was now in his best days. He had at- 
tained to the full strength of a well-developed man- 
hood. His mind was enriched with earnest study 
and the blessed results of two successful pastor- 
ates. He, moreover, cherished the noble ambition 
of realizing in his third pastorate the development 
of a weak interest into a large and flourishing con- 
gregation. He at once became the leader of the 
band of Christians who were to be known as the 
founders of St. Stephen's congregation, Reading, 
Pa. I speak advisedly when I say he became a 
*' leader. '* He was always fearless in giving ex- 
pression to his convictions. And, being a growing 
man in his intellectual attainments, there was a 
freshness in his utterances in the pulpit and in his 
intercourse with his people that gave a more than 
common interest to what he said. But what con- 
stituted especially a source of strength in his per- 
sonality and his intercourse with his people was the 
fact that he kept from them nothing that would 
help them to an apprehension of the truth. What- 
ever new light came to him in the vigorous prose- 
cution of the study of sacred Scripture, he would 
have his people share with him. 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 47 

He had great respect for the foundations laid by 
the fathers, he revered the customs and habits of 
thought that came as a heritage from preceding 
generations, but he had imphcit confidence in the 
present day fulfillment of the Saviour's promise, 
''When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will 
guide you into all truth.'- And hence he was an 
earnest inquirer after truth, and in his pulpit min- 
istrations gave his people in positive form the re- 
sults of his study as these were calculated to make 
professing Christians a thinking people, and at the 
same time strengthen them in their faith in Jesus 
as their Saviour. The results of such a pastorate 
soon began to bring forth fruit in increased church 
attendance, in more general activity in church 
work, and in larger offerings for Christian benevo- 
lence. 

The community outside of the immediate bounds 
of the congregation itself also felt the effects of the 
work of grace that was going forward. Strangers 
came, it might be as a matter of convenience, but 
they became interested and were edified, and at 
subsequent services were devout and faithful wor- 
shippers. There was something in the life of St. 
Stephen's Church that was contagious and uplift- 
ing, and that made itself felt for good in pastor and 
people, and throughout the community. The mar- 
tyr spirit of St. Stephen became a leading factor in 
the life of the pastor, and was more or less char- 
acteristic of the life of the congregation. As might 
have been expected under such conditions, the con- 



48 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

gregation had a bright future before it. I have 
spoken of ''St. Stephen's congregation/' for such, 
in the course of time, it came to be. At the begin- 
ning of this pastorate there was no organized con- 
gregation and the first house of worship was still in 
the course of erection. 

The foundations for St. Stephen's, as we now 
know it, were laid in the organization of a Sunday- 
school in Tenth street, under the fostering care of 
St. Paul's Reformed Church, Rev. Dr. B. Bausman, 
pastor. The school was afterwards transferred to 
the corner of Ninth and Greenwich streets, and 
there a very modest building was erected. Pastor 
Gerhard commenced his work November 1, 1883, 
and on December 30, of the same year, the church 
was consecrated. 

The next event of importance was the organiza- 
tion of the congregation, March 16, 1884, fifty-seven 
names being enrolled. With a new building, even 
though it was very unpretentious, and the enthusi- 
asm born when a new organization comes into be- 
ing, earnest work, under wise leadership, soon 
began to show encouraging results. At the Easter 
communion, in the month of April, twenty-four new 
members were admitted, sixteen by confirmation 
and eight by renewal of profession or certificate, 
and on Whitsunday twelve more new names were 
enrolled. In his first parochial report to Classis the 
pastor was prompted to say, ' * Our progress thus 
far has been unusually satisfactory and encourag- 
ing in every respect," and now, June 11, 1884, he 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 49 

reported ninety-three members and two hundred 
and thirty Sunday-school scholars. The anniver- 
sary of the organization of the congregation was 
celebrated with every recurring year, always on the 
Sunday nearest to the day of the month on which 
the organization was effected. 

The first anniversary was celebrated March 15, 
1885. The text was I Sam. vii : 12, '^ Hitherto the 
Lord hath helped us." The purpose of the dis- 
course was twofold : first, a recognition of God's 
goodness ; and secondly, a challenge to a proper 
appreciation of blessings enjoyed. ''This first 
year," the sermon says, ''has been in all respects 
a prosperous and happy year. Our affairs have 
been moving forward so steadily and regularly that 
we almost forget that we are not an old-established 
congregation. There have not even been any cases 
of prolonged illness among our members, no fatal 
accidents, not a single death in the congregation, 
and only one in the Sunday-school." The congre- 
gation numbered 114 members and the Sunday- 
school had 307 enrolled. 

When he came to speak of moral and spiritual 
progress, the pastor said : 

Have you learned to love the Church of Christ better 
during the year? Has your love increased for the people 
of God, the ordinances of His house, and the means of 
grace? Do you enjoy worship more? Do you pray more 
at home? Do you feel the need of your Saviour more 
deeply? Is your faith growing stronger and your lives 
more holy? An honest answer to these questions will 
indicate the condition of your spiritual life. Some of 



50 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

you have been remarkably faithful and diligent in your 
attendance upon the services. I trust that you have 
found them stimulating and comforting. Others have 
not been so regular; a few have been quite irregular. 

"It is very true, not all are circumstanced alike — some- 
times there are those who are not well, or there are 
other good reasons for absence from public worship, but, 
brethren, is there not a great deal in the will, too? Do 
some of you honestly try to get to church twice every 
Sunday? I beseech you not to allow little things to 
interfere with your religious privileges. The Church is 
God's means of saving people. 

"You can do good at home, certainly. That is what 
we must all do if we want to be Christians. But the 
word of God says we are not to forsake the assembling 
of ourselves together as the manner of some is, and the 
Lord certainly knows what we need for the growth of 
our Christian life. Sufficient time has now elapsed for 
the novelty to be worn off. To be successful our 
Christian life and relations to the Church must be made 
a matter of principle. We must attend to all these 
things, not principally because we feel like it, but be- 
cause we know we ought to. Then our interest will 
soon increase. 

That there should be a little friction sometimes we 
must expect. But let us all do what we can to avoid 
and remove it. Let there be a constant desire for 
peace, for mutual forbearance and charity. In union 
there is strength. Avoid great expectations except as 
you yourselves help to realize them. 

Let us all do the work as our Master shows it to us. 
If your heart is cold, it will not get warm by doing noth- 
ing. What makes the Dead Sea dead? The fact that 
it is all the time receiving and never giving out any- 
thing. Why is it that many Christians are cold? Be- 
cause they are all the time receiving and never giving 
out anything. They hear sermons from Sunday to 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 51 

Sunday and think that is enough. They are all the 
time receiving glorious truths, but never give them out. 
My friends, when you have heard it, go and scatter the 
sacred truth abroad. Use your talents and your hearts 
will grow warm with love." 

These extracts from our brother's first anniver- 
sary sermon are given somewhat at length as a good 
indication to show how he possessed the happy 
faculty of turning to good account important 
events in his ministry. The congregation was or- 
ganized with fifty-seven members, and now, at the 
end of the first year, the membership was doubled. 
There was good reason to thank God and take cour- 
age. But, instead of depending upon the advan- 
tage gained from such a marked degree of success, 
he made his people feel the great responsibility 
resting upon them for the years that were to come. 
And the points raised in the extracts given above 
all show that he had in his mind conditions prevail- 
ing among his people, and that they needed the 
judicious counsels of a pastor of whose heartfelt 
sympathy every member felt assured. 

March 20, 1887, he preached his third anniver- 
sary sermon. In this discourse he said : 

" This third year of my ministry in St. Stephen's has 
been to me one of inexpressible joy and gladness. God 
has blessed us in so many ways, and there have been so 
many indications of interest and spiritual awakening, 
that my heart has often been full to overflowing of pro- 
found gratitude to God, and of deep penitence on 
account of my frailties and shortcomings. And now, 
if I am to refer in detail to some of the things that 



52 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

have been sources of special joy to me, the very first 
that comes to my mind, and that lies very near my 
heart, is the Young Men's Prayer Meeting. The young 
are the hope of the Church, and especially is this true 
of the young men. They are exposed to special dangers 
and need special care. If the young men in a congre- 
gation are properly interested, and heartily serve the 
Lord, there is a strong probability that the other mem- 
bers possess a similar spirit. When, therefore, I found 
that the Young Men's Prayer Meeting was a success and 
well attended every Sunday night, and becoming con- 
stantly more interesting, and that those taking part in 
it were bringing forth more of the fruits of righteous- 
ness than they had previously done, it became a source 
of constant joy and encouragement. A band of praying 
young men ! What a power for good in the church and 
in the community ! 

The week day prayer meeting has, especially of late, 
been unusually well attended; the number attending 
our Sunday services is much larger than a year ago; 
the Sunday-school has greatly increased in numbers and 
efficiency, now having four hundred and fifty on the 
roll. On the 19th of October a Missionary Society was 
organized, which now has ninety-eight members, sixty- 
seven active and thirty-one contributing, and the Aid 
Society — how the ladies do work ! 

Let me just add that last fall, and this gratifies me 
much, we secured an encouraging list of new subscribers 
to the Church paper. ' ' 

The extracts given from the two anniversary ser- 
mons, the first and the third, show that the pastor 
had his congregation "well in hand/' He gave 
direction to the work in the various departments, 
made due recognition of evidences of progress, nor 
was he slow to suggest improvements where needed. 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 53 

His sermons, usually delivered without notes, were 
forceful and at the same time practical, alv/ays giv- 
ing evidence of deep thought enriched by extensive 
reading and earnest study, and, hence, were a con- 
stant delight to his people, and received marked 
attention from strangers occasionally worshiping 
with the congregation. A pastor thoroughly loyal 
to his own people, a competent leader in all its 
affairs, is in many instances also correspondingly 
active in the work of the Church at large, and in 
the movements for intellectual and moral advance- 
ment in the life of the community. Of this truth 
we have a good illustration in the life of our brother. 
He was synodical editor of the Reformed Church 
Messenger for a number of years, and was a fre- 
quent contributor to its columns throughout his 
ministry. His articles were always sure to attract 
attention. From December, 1885, to February, 
1888, he was a member of the Reading School 
Board. He was a member of the Board of Home 
Missions from December, 1877, to December, 1881, 
and from November, 1889, until the end of his use- 
ful life. Rev. A. C. Whitmer, Superintendent of 
Home Missions, well says : 

*'He was not only regular in attendance, but also 
watchful of the interests of the Church. He was a man 
of good judgment and of correct business habits, and 
thus he was a wise counsellor, on whom the Board and 
the Church came in large measure to depend for the 
direction of various interests. Therefore, it was not a 
matter of accident, but of serious purpose, that from 



54 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

1889 to the time of his death he was a member of the 
Executive Council of the Board of Home Missions." 

The Executive Council of the Board of Home 
Missions did justice to itself when it ' ' put upon rec- 
ord its appreciation of his faithfulness in service, 
his sound judgment and safe counsel, his warm- 
hearted sympathy with our missions and mission- 
aries, and his deep interest and valuable aid in the 
work entrusted to this body/' 

On account of his deep interest in the young 
people of the Church, he always took an active 
part in Sunday-school affairs. This helps to explain 
his prominence in the new movement in the inter- 
est of better Sunday-school work, set in motion at 
the General Synod at Akron, Ohio, May, 1887. 
The Ohio Synod had sent up an overture asking 
for the creation of a Sunday-school Board. This 
overture had awakened an interest and a discussion 
in Schuylkill Classis, of which Reading was then a 
part, and Rev. C. S. Gerhard appeared at General 
Synod in the name of his brethren of the Schuyl- 
kill Classis, to assist in giving the matter proper 
consideration. The overture was referred to a 
special committee, of which our brother was made 
chairman, and after the Board was brought into 
being he was made a member thereof, became its 
first President, had much to do with shaping the 
policy of the Board, and remained a member of it 
to the time of his death in 1902. 

The General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Rufus W. Miller, 
says : 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 55 

'* At his own request Dr. Gerhard was relieved from 
the office of President at the reorganization of the 
Board in 1893. However, he became a member of the 
Executive and Prudential Committee, and was very- 
helpful in securing the consolidation of the Sunday- 
school publications East and West, and in guiding the 
Board through the difficulties that came with the retire- 
ment of the first Business Manager of the Publication 
Board and Sunday-school Board. 

Dr. "Gerhard was chairman of the Editorial Com- 
mittee of the Sunday-school Board, and in that capacity 
had much to do with the selection of the present lesson 
editors and the arrangement of our lesson helps. I 
think I can say with truth, and with justice toward the 
other members of the Board, that he exercised more 
influence and was of greater assistance to the Church in 
the organization and establishment of the general Sun- 
day-school work than any other member. I feel that I 
never can adequately express my sense of obligation to 
him. ' Entering upon the work as the first Secretary, 
charged with the responsibility of the development of 
the work, without precedent to guide, with much mis- 
understanding and prejudice to encounter, I found in 
Dr. Gerhard always a safe counsellor, a genuine friend 
and a charitable critic." 

It will be proper to add, that he was afterwards 
a member of the Editorial Committee of three un- 
der whose auspices was prepared the Sunday-school 
Hymnal, which has met with decided favor, not only 
among our own people, but also by other denomi- 
nations. 

During- the summer of 1888 Rev. C. S. Gerhard 
journeyed five months in Europe and the Holy 
Land. After his return he prepared sketches of 



56 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

his travels and delivered them Sunday evenings to 
the people attending his church services. He was 
also called upon to give some of these sketches at 
numerous other places. Two accounts are herewith 
given to show how these lectures — for such they 
were — were elsewhere received. The Pottsville 
Journal says : 

' 'A large audience was present at Trinity Reformed 
Church last evening to hear the Rev. C. S. Gerhard, of 
Reading, Pa., deliver his highly instructive lecture on 
the Holy Land. The lecturer held the close attention 
of the audience, though the delivery of the discourse 
occupied nearly two hours. The lecture was replete 
with new views of the sacred places, and every body- 
went away with a better conception of the land where 
the Saviour lived, toiled and died. The descriptive 
powers of Mr. Gerhard are remarkable, his style is 
clear and voice good.'' 

Several years later, when the lecture was given 
at the College for Women, Allentown, Pa., the 
following report of it appeared in print : 

"Dr. Gerhard spoke on what he himself saw and 
experienced in that interesting country. His descrip- 
tions were vivid, clear, realistic and satisfactory. 
There was no attempt at oratory, and yet the speaker 
was truly eloquent in describing his visit to the tomb 
of Lazarus and other sacred places. Every person that 
heard the Doctor lecture on the evening named was 
greatly pleased." 

Meanwhile our brother came to be known as one 
of the progressive men of the Church. At Classis, 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 57 

Synod and General Synod he was known as a ready 
debater, and a leader in every progressive move- 
ment. His spirit of progress sometimes brought 
him into conflict with other men of prominence, 
but it was no unusual thing for him to be on very 
friendly, and even intimate terms, with some who 
in public antagonized his views. Much of his most 
important work was done in private. Men in 
trouble in their own pastoral fields wrote to him 
for advice. Movements in the Church at large 
that required mature deliberation and judicious 
action appealed to him with peculiar force and 
received the careful consideration of his well-disci- 
plined mind, and in many instances had reached a 
safe conclusion in his own mind before they were 
formally disposed of. 

September 25, 1887, he brought before his people 
a project to remove a debt of $3,000 from their 
church lot. In his discourse at this time he said : 

''Do you know what business men, who are deter- 
mined to succeed, do? If they are in debt they make 
up their minds to get out at all hazards. Some years ago 
a business man of Reading dissolved partnership with the 
other member of the firm with which he was connected. 
After the dissolution had been effected this man had a 
good property, valuable machinery, and $70,000 debts. 
What did he do? He worked to pay his debts. His 
superintendent told me some time ago that the first 
thing with him was to meet his obligations. Money 
had to he ready for every obligation as it became due. 
To-day that man owns a valuable business corner, be- 
sides other property on the same street, and several 
farms in the county." 



58 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHAED 

Many of the men in the Church of his own stand- 
ing as to age and position held him in high esteem, 
whilst a large number of the younger brethren 
looked up to him and revered him as a father, and 
found in his life an inspiration to whole-souled 
earnestness in their work. 

Meanwhile, in whatever way he was active, 
either in the way of self -advancement, or in the 
way of general Church work, the best interests of 
his congregation were ever uppermost in his mind. 
But, in order to advance the interests of his people, 
he made them realize that they must exert them- 
selves, and that only by self-sacrifice could they 
enjoy in the fullest degree the prosperity they 
had a right to expect. Let extracts from several 
of his sermons testify on this point : 

When Frank Leslie died he left his printing and 
publishing establishment in debt to a large amount. 
His widow took hold of the business, and in seven 
years' time paid off the entire indebtedness, and now 
has command of a large fortune. She lived in a garret 
part of these years. That did not pay her debts, but 
it shows her self-denial and nerve. It was her energy, 
perseverance and pluck, coupled with intelligent man- 
agement and hard work, that did it. 

Why should not 250 church members and as many 
more Sunday-school scholars be able to get rid of a debt 
of $3,000 ? If we go to work in the right way we can 
wipe it out in short order. About 450 years before 
Christ the city of Jerusalem was in a deplorable state. 
The greater part of its walls was in ruins, the gates 
were burned. Nehemiah heard of it. For three or four 
months he prayed to go there. At last he was sent by 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 59 

Artaxerxes as Governor of Judea. The walls were re- 
built in the incredibly short space of fifty -two days' 
time, with a comparatively small force of men. His 
success depended on three things : First — A resolute 
determination to rebuild at once all the wall that was 
torn down. Second — Co-operation. He made all to 
feel that it was a privilege and a duty. He got all to 
work. Third — Division of labor. Every one com- 
menced at the breach nearest his house, and so the wall 
was rebuilt in fifty-two days. 

We do not want to build a wall, but tear one down. 
Such a debt at first seems like a stone wall. We can- 
not go over it, we cannot go around it. We must tear 
it down. And three things are necessary: First — A 
resolute determination that the whole shall be paid. 
Second — Co-operation. Third — Division of labor. Each 
one commence right where you are. If about 300 of us 
begin to batter at our stone wall of $3,000 all at once, 
none of us need to remove a very large piece, and yet 
we can sweep away the entire amount. ' ' 

A systematic effort to remove the church debt, 
now set in motion, brought about two or three 
important results. First of all, the people gen- 
erally became interested and had a mind to work. 
In the next place, the following Easter there was a 
large offering towards the end aimed at. And, in the 
third place, Easter ever after was the season for 
large returns of offerings gathered during every 
preceding winter. In this way the sermon by the 
pastor, and the effort put forth in connection with 
it, became part of the effective training which 
developed large capacity for giving in the life of 
this congregation. 



60 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

At this time the congregation was still a mission. 
The pastor, however, was leading his people for- 
ward, and the time soon came when the Mission 
Board should no longer be relied on for partial 
support. 

March 16, 1890, when he preached his sixth anni- 
versary sermon, the pastor advocated self-support. 
He took for his text Acts xiv : 10, ''Stand upright 
on thy feet.'* In this sermon the pastor said : 

" To-day it is six years, to the very day, that this 
congregation was organized. The original members 
numbered fifty -seven. Of these, forty-seven are with 
us to-day. Our present membership is three hundred 
and fifteen. The time has come for us to stand up- 
right on our feet. We are no longer in our infancy. 
Neither are we in a crippled condition. A year ago we 
already had the largest membership of any congrega- 
tion receiving aid from the Missionary Board. The 
Board think that we ought now to be able to stand 
alone. They say to us, 'Stand upright on your feet.' 
They have a right to say so. After next first of April 
we are expected to be self-sustaining. Does not the 
Board, after they have done so much for us, have a right 
to say, ' Stand upright on your feet?' Surely they have. 
And most undoubtedly we can stand alone if we wish 
to. If we all do our part there will be no difficulty 
about the matter whatever. We must pray, we must 
work, and we must give. 

The Gospel is freely offered to all, but it costs a 
great deal to so offer it. It is not free, in the sense that 
it costs nothing to furnish it. The public schools are 
free, not because it costs nothing to conduct them, but 
because we all pay tax for their support. They are free, 
but certainly it costs quite a good deal to maimtain them 
and keep them free. The Gospel is free, but it cost the 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 61 

Lord Jesus Christ His life to enable Him to offer us a 
free Gospel. So to-day the Gospel is free, but we must 
pay to have it maintained and kept free. 

" It costs self-sacrifice, consecration, devotion, prayer, 
and also money, to keep our churches open and have the 
Gospel proclaimed. It costs money to have ministers 
to preach and administer consolation from the pulpit, 
in the Sunday-school, and from house to house. It 
costs money to build churches and keep them in repair. 
It costs money for organist, light, fuel, sexton, Sunday- 
school library, papers and other supplies. 

' ' In order that the Gospel may have a chance to be 
free and progressive, there must be contributions, and 
these must come, not from one or two or a few, but 
from the entire flock. ' To do good and to communicate 
(contribute) forget not,' says St. Paul, 'for with such 
sacrifices God is well pleased.' Giving money is as 
much a part of worship as singing and prayer. Taking 
up the collection is an act of worship. This includes 
the usual Sunday collection, special offerings, the 
communion alms, and the amounts contributed in 
your monthly envelopes. All this money is given to 
the Lord, and, as His, is used for the various Church 
purposes for which it is needed. ' The Lord loveth a 
cheerful giver,' says the Apostle Paul. Giving for the 
support of the Church, you give to the Lord. 

"And now, what is involved in our standing alone ? 
First, we are to realize that we must now depend on 
our own resources in the Lord. Again, to stand up- 
right on our feet, each one must see well to his own 
growth in grace. This is the first and central source of 
all activity in the work of the Lord. A saving knowl- 
edge of Christ, and our relation to Him, is funda- 
mental. Only as we keep our vows and live near to 
Christ will we be truly interested in His work. Then, 
too, our only right to exist as a congregation is that we 
may grow in grace and be instrumental in saving others. ' ' 



62 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

St. Stephen^s congregation had by this time 
learned to know their pastor as a man who was 
accustomed to speak his convictions in very decided 
terms, and they were not surprised to hear him at 
this time advocate self-support in the manner set 
forth in this anniversary sermon. They had chosen 
him as their leader, and they knew from past ex- 
perience that it was safe to follow him. So when, 
in accordance with his judgment, it was time to take 
a step forward and become a self-sustaining charge, 
after receiving aid from the Mission Board for a 
period of six years, the congregation joined the 
pastor in the praiseworthy effort. 

That the time chosen to stand alone was oppor- 
tune has been abundantly demonstrated in the sub- 
sequent history of the congregation. The three 
hundred and fifteen members of 1890 were strength- 
ened during the following year by the addition of 
new recruits, and a year later three hundred and 
ninety-one members were enrolled. Additions were 
reported every year, and in the year 1902 the con- 
gregation numbered seven hundred and fifty-one 
members. One year only, namely, in 1895, was a 
decrease in members reported, five hundred and 
twenty-seven instead of five hundred and sixty-one 
for the year preceding, but at that time there was 
a correcting of the roll by the erasure of fifty names. 

The congregation was making commendable pro- 
gress and came in due course of time to stand in a 
favorable light alongside of the other prosperous 
congregations of the Reading Classis. 



DK. GERHARD AS A MAN 63 

Some idea of the character of the sermons 
preached by the pastor can be gained from the pro- 
ductions of his pen as these appeared now and then 
in print. The Alumni Address he dehvered at the 
commencement of Frankhn and Marshall College 
during the summer of 1892, and which was requested 
for publication in the Refm^med Church Review, was 
on the subject, "Man's Origin and Future Destiny 
Viewed from the Scientific Standpoint." In Janu- 
ar3^ 1897, an article of his appeared in the Review 
on ''The Ever-li^^ing Christ," and a year later 
another on ' ' The Bible and the Word of God. ' ' 

He did, indeed, not turn his pulpit into a lecture 
platform and palm off these learned productions as 
sermons. That would have been impossible for a 
man constituted as the pastor of St. Stephen's was. 
This is what he did. First of all, he knew his 
congi'egation thoroughly, always having a special in- 
terest in such as needed special care. Then he was, 
by extensive reading, by earnest study, and by per- 
sonal contact with students and thinkers, well 
versed in the leading questions of the age, whether 
these pertained to science, literature or theology. 
His mind and heart, enriched in this way, he 
brought into the service of his people, and while 
he gave them simple sermons, they were enriched 
with earnest thought that made the people con- 
scious of recei\dng wholesome food for their souls. 

T\\'o important projects gradually came to have 
an engrossing interest for the pastor of St. Ste- 
phen's. One was the publication of a volume on 



64 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

the subject ** Death and the Resurrection ;'' and the 
other was the building of a new church. His book 
was on a subject that had for a long while engaged 
his earnest study and careful research, and when 
it appeared in 1895, it was at once recognized as a 
work of marked ability, calling forth extremely 
flattering notices on the part of many, and vigorous 
protests on the part of others. The Reformed 
Church Messenger said : 

" We take great pleasure in announcing this publi- 
cation, which will be found to be scholarly, suggestive 
and devotional. It discusses an intensely interesting 
subject in a most original manner. The reader may 
not at once agree with the author, but if he reads the 
book through he will find that the positions taken are 
strongly supported in Scripture, science and sound 
reasoning." 

Rev. Dr. William Rupp said : 

'* We have had the pleasure of reading this book in 
manuscript, and we have no hesitation in saying that, 
in our opinion, it is a very able discussion of a very 
profound and interesting subject, or, rather, of a series 
of subjects, for there are a number of topics. Biblical, 
theological, and scientific, that come in for more or 
less extensive consideration, all, however, bearing upon 
the elucidation of the main theme." 

In 1890, when the pastor of St. Stephen's 
preached his sixth anniversary sermon, he said : 

" Twice we have built additions to our church. 
Here we stop. We build no more additions. We 
have so far done our best. Our building is neat, con- 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 65 

venient, comfortable, large. We can seat seven hun- 
dred. Eight to ten years from now we may consider the 
question of erecting an entirely new church building." 



When that statement was made the congregation 
had been under the training of their first pastor 
for six years only, but it was quite long enough 
for them to know what such a statement meant. 
' ' We make no more additions, " ' ' in eight to ten 
years from now we may consider the question of 
erecting an entirely new church," meant exactly 
what it said. And as for the pastor, the conviction 
he expressed in that sixth anniversary sermon was 
like an inspiration to him in the years that followed. 
Week by week, month by month, year in and year 
out, he pictured before himself a growing congre- 
gation in good working condition, and along with 
this a beautiful new church that should be a proper 
expression of the piety and devotion of his people. 
Under such strenuous leadership the dream of 1890 
began to be realized before the eight or ten years 
then anticipated had elapsed. 

An important step in this direction was an- 
nounced when, on April 5, 1897, the trustees re- 
ported that they had bought from William Border 
the dwelling house and lot adjoining the church 
property on Ninth street for the sum of $2,900. 
Frequent conferences were held, preliminary con- 
siderations received due attention, and in all these 
the pastor was a prominent figure. October 17, 
1897, the building committee was named, con- 
sisting of Daniel C. Roth, John W. Wagner, and 



66 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

the pastor, Rev. C. S. Gerhard. At the same time 
there was a large advisory committee appointed, 
consisting" of Frank G. Bard, Edwin F. Feather, 
George A. Fick, J. Frederick Gerhard, John K. 
Hiester, Levi Hunsicker, Jacob C. Jackson, Richard 
G. Lincoln, Adam A. Ludwig, Albert Miller, Tobias 
W. Nissly, Manton W. Potteiger, Daniel S. Schaeff er, 
Alexander Schlottman, J. Frederick Schoenberger, 
Dr. John K. Seaman, Albert M. Weyandt, Daniel 
S. Klein, Joseph C. Roth, Hiram K. Ritter, Milton 
J. Coller, Samuel Palm, Lemon H. Hertz, Cuvier G. 
Grube, and Dr. W. D. DeLong. While the pastor was 
fully competent, and also quite willing, to lead the 
way, he would have the congregation thoroughly 
interested, hence his large advisory committee. 
In the Annual Visitor of April 19, 1897, he gives 
us an illustration of his manner of speaking to his 
people. Here he says : 

*' We need a new church, because we do not consider 
ourselves warranted in making the extensive and costly 
repairs to our present building which are required if it 
is to remain, because our church is getting too small, 
because we must keep abreast with the progress of our 
city, because the glory of God demands that a congre- 
gation, which has been blest like St. Stephen's, shall 
go forward and erect a house of worship fully commen- 
surate with its constantly increasing requirements. 
The congregation has expressed its willingness and 
purpose to build a new church, so soon as we can make 
the necessary preparations. We are eager to begin. 
And every member would like to see a beautiful build- 
ing erected. We have no desire to outdo others. 
Neither are we prompted by feelings of pride. But we 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 67 

do believe that we cannot do too much for our Lord, 
who loves the beautiful, as well as the true and the 
good. Giving is a grace that needs to be exercised. 
No one can afford to hang back. Our current expenses 
and benevolent contributions are provided for by sys- 
tematic offerings frequently given and in small amounts. 
The time has now come for us to think of something 
altogether exceptional and something which comes to 
most men only once in a lifetime. We want to build 
a church to cost, not two or three thousand dollars, 
but twenty or thirty thousand. Pennies, nickels and 
dimes are good in their place, but do not go far when a 
church is to be erected. Occasional sociables and 
entertainments are like sweetmeats and desserts — not 
to be depended upon, because not sufficiently substan- 
tial. The only way to raise funds to build a church is 
to proceed as we do when we want to build or buy a 
house for ourselves. We know it takes a large amount 
of money, but we believe in the investment and are 
willing to make it. The best way to get together thou- 
sands of dollars for a new church is for all those who 
can possibly do so to give by the thousand. A man 
who is worth ten or fifteen thousand dollars does not 
go beyond what is reasonable if he contributes a thou- 
sand dollars towards a new church. He will not be 
any the poorer for having done so. Nor can any one 
else afford to do less than his full duty. Brethren, we 
have resolved to build. We are not ready now. It 
will take at least a year to prepare, but in the meantime 
let no one be idle. The poor alone cannot build it. 
The rich alone cannot build it. If all become thor- 
oughly aroused and each one is willing to do his utmost 
the church can be built and paid for. Shall it be 
done?" 

The publication of this appeal had its desired 
effect in increasing the interest of the people in the 



68 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

project before them. This interest was constantly 
reinforced and strengthened by the inspiring ser- 
mons of the pastor, and his enthusiastic and hope- 
ful spirit in the social circle. As an evidence of 
the progress that was being made, let the Annual 
Visitor of April 11, 1898, be heard : 

" On the first page is a picture of the new church. 
It is an easy matter to have a cut made; not so easy 
to build a church. But it can be done. It has often 
been accomplished before, and anything that is neces- 
sary the members and friends of St. Stephen's can do. 
In union and co-operation there is strength. We are 
in the midst of our preparations. It will be a long 
pull and a hard pull, but, if a strong pull and a pull 
altogether, we will succeed better than we anticipate. 

" With rare exceptions the members are responding 
nobly. A few seem not to realize the blessedness of 
giving to the Lord's cause. But the great majority are 
ready to do what they can. They do not put their own 
comforts and expenditures first, but recognize the fact 
that the Lord's cause has an equal claim with their own 
needs. They are heartily willing to make sacrifices, to 
work, to save, to give — ' to earn all they can, save all 
they can, give all they can.' They want to do some- 
thing, and as much as possible. 

" The pastor's heart has often been touched, in mak- 
ing his canvass, with the beautiful exhibitions of un" 
usual liberality on the part of those whose gifts require 
genuine self-denial and long-continued, persistent saving 
up of pennies, nickels and dimes. To them the build- 
ing of the new church is a precious means of grace. 
Their prayers and their offerings, like the prayers and 
alms of Cornelius, come up fur a memorial before God. 
They give to the new church in such a way that they 
are thereby laying up treasures in heaven, and growing 
rich towards God." 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 69 

The work of building was soon fully under way, 
and the pastor kept himself, by dint of his natural 
leadership, in the forefront of every step that was 
taken. The ground to be occupied was 77 by 110 
feet in extent. The plan of the church, as wrought 
out by architect Charles W. Bolton, of Philadel- 
phia, made provision for an auditorium capable of 
seating eight hundred, and a Sunday-school chapel 
for seven hundred, the two rooms being so arranged 
that they could be thrown together, giving a com- 
bined seating capacity of fifteen hundred. An ad- 
ditional Sunday-school room in the basement, with 
three hundred and fifty seats, was also in the plan, 
thus making room for more than one thousand 
scholars and teachers. Besides this, there was 
included a large assembly room in the basement, 
the whole to be finished with a cement floor. 

The corner stone was laid July 3, 1898, and then 
the work was vigorourly pressed towards comple- 
tion. In the Annual Visitor of April 3, 1899, the 
pastor thus expressed himself : 

** It is no longer a dream, but a reality. For years 
we waited for it. At last we were compelled to under- 
take its erection, and now the chapel and basement are 
completed. It is a great satisfaction that it answers 
our purpose so well. The longer we use it the better 
we like it. It was not built for appearance, but for 
use. Every inch of ground was carefully considered, 
and the edifice planned so that it might answer all 
legitimate church purposes. So far our expectations 
have been more than realized. The building fully 
meets our necessities and seems to embody every con- 
venience that a modern church is expected to have. 



70 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

" We, of course, also consider it a handsome struc- 
ture. We tried to make it as beautiful as possible 
without being extravagant, believing that beauty costs 
nothing except brains, patient effort and experience. 
Our architect did his part nobly and the contractor has 
done equally well. 

*' But whilst we thought we were getting a beautiful 
church, we were not prepared for the high appreciation 
with which our efforts have been received by the 
community. Again and again we have been assured 
by friends, who have come and told us, that we have 
one of the finest churches in Reading; that as to beauty 
of design and architectural symmetry it has no superior 
in town. We think so, and we are glad that others are 
of the same opinion. On the day on which we held 
our opening services, a prominent member of one of 
the down-town churches said to the pastor: * I consider 
this the best arranged Sunday-school chapel in 
Reading.' " 

There v^as great rejoicing when, on Sunday, 
November 19, 1899, the beautiful church, built at a 
cost of $30,000, was consecrated to the worship of 
Almighty God. Now it was the pastor's purpose 
to handle judiciously, and pay off gradually, the 
indebtedness that remained on the church, and to 
go forward with the work in the congregation, 
building up the members in the Christian life and 
doing all that was possible to give the Gospel of the 
living Christ to the community, and to the whole 
world. In the Armual Visitor, April 16, 1900, he 
says: 

*'A place of worship is necespary. A handsome, con- 
venient church edifice is desirable. A fine new church 
is encouraging. But to be in possession of the right 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 71 

sort of a building does not in itself insure success. The 
building is only a means to an end. It is the body 
which is to enshrine a living soul. It is a help towards 
the performance of our duty. A commodious new 
church brings increased responsibilities. It challenges 
us anew to greater faithfulness in church and Sunday- 
school attendance, in taking a hearty interest in all the 
various operations with which we are necessarily identi- 
fied, and in living lives of fuller consecration." 

The consecration of the new church marked an 
epoch in the life of St. Stephen's. It was an evi- 
dence of the success with which the work under- 
taken in this pastoral field was carried forward. 
Besides the organization of the congregation as 
such, there was the ever-growing Sunday-school, 
with its band of faithful and consecrated workers ; 
the Ladies' Aid Society, the Missionary Society, 
the Y.P.S.C.E., and the Ladies' Guild, each doing 
excellent work in its own legitimate sphere. 

Besides the evidences of success in his own home 
field, pastor Gerhard had many evidences of appre- 
ciation in the Church at large. He received the 
degree of Doctor of Divinity from Franklin and 
Marshall College, June, 1891. In the month of 
October of the same year, he was President of the 
Eastern Synod at Harrisburg, and he was President 
of the General Synod at Tiffin, Ohio, in 1899. He 
frequently wrote for the Church papers, always on 
important subjects, and was sure of attracting 
attention by what he said. 

But failing health had admonished him for several 
years that the end was approaching. Without, 



72 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

however, relaxing any of his efforts to make him- 
self felt for good in the work of the Church, it be- 
came very evident that his race was well nigh run. 
At his own request, he was relieved of the respon- 
siblity of the active pastorate, but was made pastor 
emeritus, the new relation to go into effect Novem- 
ber 1, 1902. A few days before this time arrived, 
namely, on the morning of October 29, 1902, he fell 
peacefully asleep in Jesus. 

In his own family he was greatly blessed. She, 
who in the providence of God, in his early ministry, 
became his helpmeet, entered diligently into all the 
projects that claimed his attention, and, by her de- 
votion and intelligence, rendered him valuable assis- 
tance. His four sons were from early childhood 
members of the kingdom of heaven. The oldest, 
an unusually well-rounded young man, after 
careful preparation, had entered upon what seemed 
to promise a bright career in the Gospel ministry ; 
the next one, engaged in business, was making him- 
self felt for good as a lay worker in his father^s 
congregation; the third gave promise of doing good 
work in the medical profession, for which he was 
preparing ; and the youngest, still in early child- 
hood, gave evidence of following in the footsteps 
of his older brothers. Happy in his home life, pros- 
perous in his congregation, a leader among the 
leading men of his own denomination, respected 
and honored by all his fellow Christians of what- 
ever name and denomination, our brother apparent- 
ly had before him a work of far-reaching importance. 



DR. GERHARD AS A MAN 73 

But this work must be carried forward in a man- 
ner altogether contrary to human calculation. ' 'For 
my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are 
your ways my ways," saith the Lord. The oldest 
born, W. Glase Gerhard, after an unusually success- 
ful career in the active ministry during a period of 
three years, passed peacefully to his eternal rest, 
July 22, 1901, at the early age of 29 years and 5 
days. Seven weeks later, September 10, John M. 
Gerhard followed his brother to the eternal home, 
aged 27 years, 10 months and 26 days. October 29, 
1902, the father. Rev. Calvin Seibert Gerhard, D.D., 
was called to his reward, aged 57 years and 26 days. 
Evidences of grief were seen on every hand. It 
was felt that a prince had fallen in Israel. The sor- 
row was all the greater because of the early death 
of the two noble sons. 

But in the providence of God, the good work 
accomplished by our brother and his sons goes on. 
Lives have been touched for good, impulses have 
been given to movements that are bearing precious 
fruit for the kingdom of heaven. The beautiful 
new church at the corner of Ninth and Greenwich 
streets is a standing testimony to the character of 
the work of the first pastor. The congregation, well 
organized, and in excellent working condition, was 
ready to follow the lead of the successor in the 
pastorate. Although the first pastor has laid down 
the shepherd's crook, the same to be taken up by 
another, yet, in ''the communion of saints," there 
is a bond of living union between the departed and 



74 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

those who survive. This bond of union inspires the 
workers. It helps them to bear their burdens. It 
enables them to look hopefully forward to a blessed 
reunion in the Father's House in heaven. 

Auf Wiedersehen. 



CHAPTER 11. 
Dr. Gerhard as a Student 

By the Rev. Ellis N. Kremer, D.D. 

Pastor Salem Reformed Church, 
Harrisburg, Penn'a 



CHAPTER II. 
Dr. Gerhard as a Student. 




Y first acquaintance with Calvin S. 

M Gerhard was in the spring of 1861, 
when I became a member of the pre- 
paratory department of Franklin and 
Marshall College by transfer from the 
same department of Dickinson Col- 
lege. Our class was advanced to the 
Freshman class in College, and what 
was left of the original number, only 
a remnant, graduated in '65. An intimacy began 
in the preparatory department between Calvin, my 
brother Stephen, and myself, which was never 
broken. I remember well my first acquaintance 
with the Gerhard family, when I called at the home, 
on North Queen street, in '61. Rev. William T. 
Gerhard, the father, almost awed one by his size 
and decision in speech, as I saw and heard him ap- 
proaching the group of boys in Calvin's room ; but 
he quite won me by his kind greeting and smile. I 
was much impressed by the kind face and gentle 
manners of the mother. Through a long acquaint- 
ance she was always the same, commanding the 
esteem of all who knew her. Her influence must 
have been invaluable in forming the character of 
my classmate, in whom I frequently saw repro- 
duced her own gentleness, combined with the de- 
cision and positive disposition of the father. 



78 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

At this time my intense interest was also excited 
by Calvin's penchant for collecting curios. He 
was then between 15 and 16 years of age, and had 
collected an almost complete series of copper cents, 
in which work he must have had a good means of 
exchange in the special collections lifted in the 
churches which his father served. It was then 
that my eye was first opened to the existence of 
**fake" relics, and rehc makers, of whom I have 
since learned more in the department of Indian 
relics. One rare coin was missing from the series. 
On looking through a box of coins I found one of 
the same date and asked why it was not framed 
with the others. Taking a small magnifying glass, 
Calvin showed me that some skilful hand had 
altered the date, and from a common coin had 
formed one that, to the uninitiated, would pass for 
a rarity. 

More than once, in later life, when he told me 
of his changed attitude of mind on certain ques- 
tions, did I remember how, as a boy, he would not 
admit a *'fake'' coin into his collection. He could 
not give up a position which he had taken without 
a struggle, for he had a healthy pride, but much 
less could he admit a ' 'fake' ' principle into his think- 
ing if he knew it to be such. I thought of the 
same incident also in later life, when, in a conver- 
sation on the training of our sons, he said: **I 
always taught my boys, when they were young, 
what belongs to you is your own. Don't touch 
what belongs to another. That is his." 



DR. GERHARD AS A STUDENT 79 

The war clouds were heavy and threatening in 
the spring of '61, and soon the war broke out. It 
changed the order of schoolboy and student life, 
especially in Lancaster. Troops from Ohio were 
early in camp at Lancaster, on the fair ground, not 
far from the College, and, part of the time, the 
church in which my father preached was used as a 
hospital, or for sleeping quarters. The camp was 
the centre of attraction to the boys, and we became 
imbued with the military spirit. During this period 
the government had shipped a lot of condemned 
army horses to Lancaster for sale, and Calvin 
almost excited my envy by becoming the purchaser 
of one of them. 

We had in those days very few college sports, 
no close connection with other institutions, and no 
class organization. Our class was safe from any 
sporadic attack by other classes, since, in addition 
to our numbers, we boasted in having the strongest 
man in college in the person of T. 0. Stem. But 
the absorbing interest in the war, the intense 
political feeling, and the interruption to studies by 
** Rebel raids," prevented the development of class 
rivalry or a strong college sentiment. Most of us 
were in heart with classmates or other students 
who had gone ''to the front,'' and were in college 
simply because it was our duty to be there. In 
two of the four years our term was shortened by 
invasions on Pennsylvania soil by the Confederates. 

The only games which we had as students were 
cricket and ''sling the Indian," with an annual 



80 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

exhibition of ''laughing gas/' administered by 
Dr. Porter. The Doctor was very brave in admin- 
istering, but very wary as to the effects of the gas 
on his subjects, and always ran to a safe distance. 
Once, however, he was caught and rather roughly 
handled by a brawny student under the influence 
of the gas, as he excused himself, but with mis- 
chief in his eye as we boys saw him. 

We were never introduced during our college life 
to the joys and perils of base-ball, foot-ball, glee 
clubs or smokers. The exuberance of youth found 
expression in the drill, the war bulletins, political 
discussion, and a few college tricks. Had his course 
been a few years later, the subject of this sketch 
would have been a leader in healthful and manly 
sports. He was a bright, joyous youth, strong in 
body, fond of fun, and always ready to do his part 
in the few tricks which enlivened our college life. 
The field west of the campus was one year planted 
in corn and cow-pumpkins. The long halls between 
the recitation rooms, suggestive of a ten-pin alley, 
and round, solid pumpkins formed an irresistible 
combination to boys of our age, the youngest in the 
class. Calvin and myself, armed with pumpkins, 
would take our stand at Dr. Nevin's door, on the 
third floor, and, at a given signal, let them fly at 
the door of the room opposite, occupied by the tutor. 
The pumpkin that first struck the door, left on the 
latch by the accommodating members of the class 
in recitation, would burst it open, and the one fol- 
lowing would roll into the room, sometimes quite up 



DR. GERHARD AS A STUDENT 81 

to the tutor's desk. As soon as we had discharged 
our volley we would enter our recitation room, 
knowing full well that Dr. Nevin would be entirely- 
oblivious to the racket. It was a safe sport and an 
exhilirating one to every one but the tutor, though 
the boys in class would seem surprised and almost 
indignant at the confusion they aided, and of which 
they had the safer enjoyment. But once we were 
caught, and then had the distinguished honor of 
meeting the whole faculty, a unique occasion 'save 
on senior oration day and commencement. At that 
time we received more marks of attention from our 
honored preceptors than were agreeable. In fact, 
the marks were purposely made so high that a few 
more would subject us to temporary suspension, 
with possibility of descending to a lower grade. 
After we were dismissed we talked the matter over, 
and, while we longed for the fun, we decided that, 
out of deference to our parents, and because the 
faculty had a right to look for a good example in 
the sons of ministers, we would abandon the sport, 
which seemed innocent enough until we were 
caught, and put ourselves on our good behavior. 
Our subsequent conduct was such that the faculty, 
of its own volition, removed our marks. We had 
taken our medicine and it had improved our health. 
As I write, memory calls up a quintette of boys 
filled with military spirit, Leighton Gerhart, 
Charley Rengier, Stephen Kremer, Calvin Gerhard 
and the writer. Arms were manufactured for the 
government in Lancaster, and it was an easy thing 



82 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

to secure the ends of rifle barrels, have them 
plugged and a touch-hole bored. Of these we 
made cannon, mounted them on boats about 16 
inches long, and made ready for a naval conflict 
with powder and bullet. Leighton Gerhart was 
our leader, and he and the writer were most ardent 
for the fray. We blazed away at each other ^s 
boats on land in practice, but by the time we had 
one conflict on water the thing was noised abroad 
and orders from parental headquarters relieved us 
of our commissions. Such were our college sports, 
in which our classmate took part with all the 
energy of disposition and purpose which he after- 
wards consecrated to a higher calling, in which 
the determination he had shown in youth helped to 
make him so eminently successful. He never 
shirked in sport or in study. It was very difficult 
to study in those days. The absorbing questions 
of the hour made it at times almost impossible. 
But Calvin was a close and diligent student at all 
times. He had the power of concentration. He 
never lost sight of the purpose for which he was 
at college, nor did he lack in willingness to gener- 
ously aid others in understanding difficult lessons. 
What marks he received were not the miserly 
hidings of a ctose and ambitious student, but marks 
of merit obtained in generous rivalry. As the 
result of his faithfulness and ability, he took the 
valedictory oration and shared the first honors in 
scholarship with T. 0. Stem. Nor was the ques- 
tion ever raised among the boys as to the justice of 



DR. GERHARD AS A STUDENT 83 

the award. There was little, if any, envy in the 
personnel of the Class of '65. Because of the war, 
we had dwindled to less than half our original 
number, but we were friends. 

The writer had the pleasure of taking part of his 
Seminary course in company with C. S. Gerhard. 
While we graduated in College as classmates, he 
entered the Seminary one year in advance of my- 
self. Here he showed the same diligent and earnest 
application ; was strong in discussion ; fervent in 
prayer. In the Seminary there were no marks of 
scholarship, no ambition to excel for honors. Great 
attention was given to the Society of Inquiry, and 
in its work he was always forceful in argument, 
lucid in style, and earnest in delivery. In his early 
ministry, I remember that Dr. Nevin complimented 
him publicly for his forceful and clear presentation 
of the subject handled by him, either in address or 
in an article in the Messenger. I do not retain the 
details, but well remember the fact. 

Perhaps it is because we were boys together that, 
in our subsequent life, we always met in the spirit 
of boyhood. When the shadow of death first fell 
on my own family, it happened that he was my 
guest, and when his sympathy was extended it came 
with the freshness of the days of our youth. In the 
various Church bodies, on the floor of Synod, or 
wherever we met in public duty, when I heard him 
speak there was always the impression of those 
early days spent together at Lancaster, and I often 
thought of the words of Wordsworth, ' * The child is 



84 THE LIFE OF DE. GERHARD 

father to the man. '* I could see that his high moral 
standard, his regard for his parents, his determina- 
tion to come out right, his reverence for sacred 
things, were fulfilled in his riper years. These 
were the promise of his youth, and pointed to what 
his future would be. 

Our relations never changed through any differ- 
ence of view. On one occasion I wrote an article 
for the Messenger on ' ' Tithes, '' with which he could 
not agree, and to which he wrote a reply. But be- 
fore his article appeared I received a letter from 
him in which he stated that he felt it necessary to 
take a different view of the subject. On another 
occasion we differed on another subject, positively 
and firmly. Subsequently he changed his view, 
and, as our discussion had been earnest, he made 
it a point to inform me early of his position. These 
incidents in later life are almost exact parallels of 
incidents in our college days. The man was only 
the mature and advanced boy. 

I am transcending the part asked of me in dwell- 
ing much upon the later life of my friend. But I 
shall close with reference to a characteristic which 
to me was one of the most charming of all that 
marked him. And I refer to his later life because, 
while I know of nothing that would indicate that he 
did not possess it in boyhood, yet it was not discovered 
by me then. This was his admiration of excellence 
in others. There was something contagious in his 
warm appreciation and praise of excellence shown 
by others, of whatever faith they might be. 



DR. GERHARD AS A STUDENT 85 

I give but one illustration. He had heard a lec- 
ture by Dr. Krauskopf , of Philadelphia, on the 
Apostle Paul. In describing it he became eloquent 
in praise, and with a burst of enthusiasm raised his 
hand and said, ' ' I thank God that I had gotten in- 
spiration from a Jew. ' ' This trait was prominent 
in his later life, and was especially attractive in one 
who commanded by his own abilities the praise and 
esteem of others. 

The circle of friends on earth is ever enlarging 
as we make new ones, and ever narrowing as our 
old friends depart ; but the circle beyond is ever 
enlarging, never narrowing. Warm will be the 
greetings and many the choice spirits which shall 
welcome us when, if true to our call, we are ad- 
mitted to their heavenly fellowship, and of these 
there is one, the subject of this sketch, whom many 
are looking forward to greet. 



CHAPTER III. 
Dr. Gerhard as a Christian Minister 

By the Rev. H. Y. Stoner 

President Inter-State Commercial College, 
Reading, Penn'a 



CHAPTER III. 
Dr. Gerhard as a Christian Minister 




HOUGH dead, he lives in the hearts 
and minds of all who were associated 
with him as an abiding influence for 
good. We feel grateful for having 
come into contact with him, providen- 
tially, we believe, at a time of life 
when our love for the Reformed 
Church had somewhat waned. We 
fancy others have experienced the de- 
sire and need of a settled faith, a church home, and 
a preacher and pastor whose heart and mind are so 
imbued v/ith the reality and truth of Christianity 
that his life and presence radiate its power and 
glory — a man who is afire with the truth he 
preaches, and conscious of the needs of humanity ; 
a man whose advocacy of the claims of Christianity 
are sincere, sound and convincing ; a man whose 
life is naturally consistent with his preaching ; a 
man who knows God, who believes in Christ, and 
who depends humbly but firmly on the co-operation 
of the Holy Spirit ; a man who is fearless in his 
pulpit utterances, but considerate and discreet ; 
whose sympathy for souls is unbounded, and whose 
chief concern is that all should come to a knowledge 
of the truth ; a man with a thoroughly trained 
and thoroughly balanced mind, with a true and 
pure heart, with a life hid with Christ in God. 
Such a man we found Dr. Gerhard to be. 



90 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

Persons who have lived in a helpful environment 
from infancy to manhood or womanhood, and who 
have always lived in the settled atmosphere of a 
single denomination, can scarcely comprehend the 
soul struggles of one thrown into the turmoils 
of the world, without parents to guide and govern, 
when by force of circumstances he is brought into 
contact with various religious denominations. Such 
unfavorable, unsettling influences beset the writer 
until he reached the church of which Dr. Gerhard 
was the honored and faithful pastor. Here our eyes 
were opened, our doubts dissipated, our mind 
settled, our faith fixed, our heart encouraged, our 
life renewed. Here was a new outlook, a cleared 
view of life. Here the ship without a pilot, and 
almost rudderless, found a safe harbor, and, after 
considerable repairing, was sent on a new voyage. 
Can one be grateful enough for such help ? It is 
with great satisfaction, therefore, that I undertake 
to write of Dr. Gerhard as a Christian minister. 

I hope to avoid even the slightest exaggeration 
in this imperfect sketch. My only purpose is to 
hold forth our subject as I knew him. We cannot 
adequately portray the excellent traits of this 
man's character as a minister, but, confining our- 
selves strictly to the truth, can yet say that he was 
a minister of unusual qualities, whose life was a 
power for good, and whose influence is abiding. 

That he was faultless, we would not for a moment 
claim. He was deeply conscious of his faults and 



DR. GERHARD AS A CHRISTIAN MINISTER 91 

errors, and sincerely deplored them. ''I was a 
little too hasty,'' we often heard him say. 

Since it would be utter folly for me to undertake 
to write for literary effect, I take the liberty to 
write as I would speak face to face with the 
reader. Come with me, then, in imagination to 
St. Stephen's Church. 

We look upon the man for the first time. He is 
a perfect stranger to us. In the reading of the 
Scriptures and in his prayer we notice a tone of rev- 
erence and sincerity. His free prayer leads one to 
think that he lives in close communion with God. 
It is comprehensive and solid, yet very tender and 
touching. It is the voice, mind and heart of a 
child of God. Here we may expect food for the 
soul. The opening sentences of his sermon, while 
not striking, are so woven together as an introduc- 
tion as to form a foundation logically outlining the 
ruling thought of all that follows. One need not 
wonder long what truth he is aiming to elucidate. 
As he goes on one is impressed with the importance 
of his message and the sincerity of the preacher. 
Every argument and illustration carries the convic- 
tion to the listener that the message is God's mes- 
sage. It is laden with comfort for every child of 
God, affords help and encouragement, and inspires 
to renewed Christian living. There are reflections 
for the wayward that can be understood by all, with 
sincere appeals for a nobler and better life. To the 
hypocritical he administers undiluted warnings with 
stirring and eloquent appeals to be true and loyal to 



92 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

Christ. To the unconverted he brings a call clear 
and convincing, and most touchingly he pleads with 
such to give their hearts to Christ. We rise from 
our pew with food for reflection and with the con- 
viction that here is a man who studies his Bible, 
lives a Christian life, has a broad, well-trained mind, 
and a tender heart. He seems a little stern and 
rugged in manner, and yet he has drawn a chord 
about our affections and has won our regard for him 
as a man of God, an ambassador for Christ. 
Though we have heard him but once, he has helped 
us a little nearer to God and created in us a desire 
to hear him again. Such was our experience during 
the first service we attended at St. Stephen's, and 
we can say that our first impressions were deepened 
as months and years rolled on, and as our acquaint- 
ance ripened into friendship and resulted in co-oper- 
ation in the work of the church as an office-bearer, 
and later as a minister. 

Inasmuch as others will write of his work as a 
pastor, I shall confine myself to two phases of his 
work as a minister ; namely, as a preacher, and in 
his relation to the Church at large. 

His sermons were never sensational. For such 
he had only contempt. They did not abound in 
glittering generalities. They had purpose, point 
and power. They were helpful, inspiring, faith- 
creating, satisfying. They were laden with spir- 
itual food for the hungry, and were so broad in 
their adaptation, that almost every moral and 
spiritual condition was met. They were, of course, 



DR. GERHAED AS A CHRISTIAN MINISTER 93 

doctrinal to a large extent, but always practical. 
He was a man among men, knew men's needs, and 
gave them such messages as God inspired him to 
deliver. He leaned on Him for help. His sermons 
were never perplexing in any sense. His thorough 
scholarship, and his earnest efforts to set forth the 
truth clearly, enabled him to present his thoughts 
in a manner that made their comprehension easy. 
There was no effort at oratory, but a burning 
desire to enable his hearers to grasp the truth as 
he understood it. While his sermons did not 
abound in well-rounded sentences, he became quite 
eloquent at times, and in such a way as led one to 
think the words were given him from above. He 
undoubtedly relied much upon the presence and 
help of the Holy Spirit. He may not have been a 
brilliant preacher, yet many of his sermons shone 
with celestial glory. He possessed unusual power 
to make the truth clear. His words carried con- 
viction, and we believe that his sermons rarely 
failed to accomplish the purpose for which they 
were preached. They were well balanced, logical, 
thoroughly wrought out, and delivered with such 
self-possessed earnestness, as would lead one to see 
that he was afire with the truth and longed to 
make it the possession of the hearer. 

His sermons were not religious essays or merely 
cold statements of his opinions, but expressions of 
his own great faith, and of his strong convictions 
concerning spiritual things. They were full of meat, 
and utterly devoid of idle or trifling thought. He 



94 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

wrought and wrought and wrought until there 
would be given ''birth to a sermon/^ and then he 
would study and search and work until the Lord's 
Day would come to afford him opportunity to pour 
out his soul on the truth that had laid hold on him 
mightily. Many were astonished at times at his 
great power and at the intense earnestness of his 
preaching. This earnestness was not manifested 
so much in voice or gesture as in an indescribable 
heart power that he put into his preaching when in 
possession of a great truth. 

His sermons were instructive, and commanded 
attention and sustained interest. They were filled 
with thought that quickened the conscience and 
encouraged the devout follower of Christ. His 
spirit seemed to be akin to that of the Master's. 
His interest in souls was sincere and constant, and 
perhaps nothing in his experience gave him greater 
satisfaction than to know that some one for whom 
he was praying and on whom he was working was 
drawing closer to Christ, becoming stronger in the 
faith and more active in Christian work. Any 
word or act in behalf of the Church on the part of 
anyone gave him great joy, but to discover a soul 
filled with the mind of Christ was bliss to him. 
We recall at this time his delight in speaking of 
ministers and laymen of other denominations whom 
he found earnestly devoted to the Master. But, 
on the other hand, there was perhaps nothing that 
vexed his soul more than the deliberate indulgence 
in heinous sin by those who filled important posi- 



DR. GERHARD AS A CHRISTIAN MINISTER 95 

tions in the Church, and for ministers who were 
guilty of gross sins he could scarcely command any 
patience. 

We doubt whether he ever entered his pulpit to 
preach without proper preparation. His custom 
was to choose texts on Monday or Tuesday, to be 
developed for the following Sunday's sermons. 
Time was set apart for study and research and used 
persistently and methodically. No labor was too 
great for him in the development of a sermon, and 
all the helps available were sought, but we believe 
he relied most on the Word and the Spirit, yet 
studying and working as if all depended on his own 
efforts. 

His sermons possessed a warmth that kindled a 
flame of sacred love in many a human breast. That 
they were intellectual one would naturally expect, 
but they were so surcharged with heavenly love 
that they laid hold upon every class of hearers, and 
made them know and feel that they were not 
brought forth by a worldling, but by a man who 
walked with God, as with worldlings such spiritual 
sermons would be utterly impossible. 

The three most potent factors noticeable in his 
preaching were his intense love of the truth, his 
love for souls, and his undying love for Christ. 

How his eyes flashed and sparkled when he was 
stirred with important truth. His very frame 
seemed to tremble, and the muscles of his body 
seemed to be at a tension when he was unfolding 
a truth, so mightily it took hold of him. How he 



96 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

would send home to the hearer, whose welfare was 
second nature to him, the far-reaching influence of 
that truth, and then followed in quick succession 
statements of the effect of the acceptance of that 
truth. But he was never satisfied to have his 
hearers accept anything merely because he or any- 
one else proclaimed it or believed it, but by argu- 
ment and illustration he made one comprehend and 
make one's own that very truth. He never dealt 
in half-truths, nor did he waste time on non-essen- 
tials. He could not do otherwise than delve deep 
down to the bottom of things, and so great and so 
satisfying did the great truths and fundamentals 
seem to him that he worked with all the energy at 
his command to make the hearer enjoy the consola- 
tions and the strength they afforded. His preach- 
ing was positive. Negations were rare, because the 
opportunities seemed too few in which to develop 
the many beautiful and eternal truths. Often it 
seemed that he had but started his sermon when he 
closed it, so great was his reserve force and so full 
of strong thought were his discourses. While he 
did not by any means neglect or underestimate the 
subjective in his preaching, we believe, yea, we 
know, that his heart and mind were on fire with the 
objective. He indeed preached Christ with the 
earnestness of a true ambassador, and no one erred 
in his opinion of this preacher in saying that ''It's 
all business with him,'' meaning that he had no 
time as a minister for anything at variance with 
truth and righteousness. Right along this line is 



DR. GERHARD AS A CHRISTIAN MINISTER 97 

where he seemed stern to such as had only a slight 
acquaintance with him. Those who knew him more 
fully understood that it was the breaking forth of 
burning convictions hurled at connivance at sin and 
at trifling with life and duty and opportunity. 
When he took a stand on any question, there was 
no trouble in determining his position, yet he was 
not obstinate by any means in his views, as we have 
known him to publicly acknowledge error. 

In speaking of his keen interest in the spiritual 
welfare of his people, or for that matter of all per- 
sons, I should be delighted to give incidents of 
which I was an eye-witness, but, as others will 
write of his faithfulness as a pastor, I shall treat 
this phase of his ministerial life in a general way. 

So far did his desire for the spiritual welfare of 
his people outweigh his desire to simply have them 
as members of his congregation, that when he heard 
of any one who, though a member of his church, 
claimed to derive more spiritual benefit, or to feel 
more at home in some other church, or even some 
other denomination, he freely and heartily advised 
such to attend wherever the greatest help could be 
gained. More than once we heard him give just 
such advice. 

He was justifiably jealous of the good name of 
every one of his members, and to accuse one of 
conduct unbecoming a Christian was to invite a 
perfect bombardment of questions from him, and, 
unless one was perfectly sure of the truth of the 
accusation, there was not much satisfaction in 



98 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

carrying the report to him. When he discovered 
a guilty one he would deal frankly and friendly, 
yea fatherly, with him, but would exact correction 
or reform as the case might require. 

To show how sympathetic he was, let me state 
but one instance. A member of a church, whether 
of his own or of some other doesn^t matter, was 
guilty of a certain transgression of the divine law, 
but was earnest in his efforts to resist the tempta- 
tion, and frequently sought counsel of Dr. Gerhard. 
We know that for many months he prayed with and 
for that man, visited him, advised and encouraged 
him, and did all in his power to help him. So much 
was he concerned about that- man's spiritual wel- 
fare that he frequently became the subject of our 
conversation and prayer. For at least several 
years he worked to help that man conquer his 
besetting sin and befriended him as a father would 
a son. 

His personal interest in the writer, at a time when 
to make shipwreck of his faith would have been 
only too easy, as well as in dozens of other instances 
that we might write about, should be sufficient to 
show that he was indefatigable in his labors with 
individuals. We never heard him utter a word 
which would permit the inference that he wanted 
popularity, or numbers, or show, but we do know 
he wanted to catch souls for Christ and he worked 
without ceasing to get them individually, one by 
one, and then to hold them, but for Christ's sake. 
Of course he preferred that his members should not 



DR. GERHARD AS A CHRISTIAN MINISTER 99 

desert the church of which he was pastor, but when 
there were good reasons for them to go elsewhere, 
by force of his straightforward frankness, he would 
even advise them to do so. 

With joy indescribable he would relate to me as 
an elder in his church the spiritual growth and 
development of some young man or some young 
woman in the congregation. An old father, by his 
simple, beautiful, devoted Christian life was like a 
tonic to him in his labors as a minister. A help- 
less but very faithful member of his congregation 
was the recipient of his tenderest sympathies and 
help, and was a joy and comfort to him. 

No one could esteem more highly or appreciate 
more fully than he did the faithful follower of 
Christ. As we said before, beyond the boundary 
lines of his own congregation, or, indeed, those of 
his denomination, he would find souls in whom he 
rejoiced, merely because they stood for the truth 
and for Christ. He was public-spirited, broad- 
minded and large-hearted. To him every Christian 
was alike a brother. 

His love for souls was reciprocated by his mem- 
bers to a marked extent. The attendance at his 
church was not variable, sometimes large, some- 
times small, but almost without exception there was 
a large attendance of the members. There are sev- 
eral reasons for this, besides the fact that their 
pastor loved them, though they all are to some 
extent due to that love. First, his members knew 
they would lose something by remaining away from 



LofC. 



100 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

the service, some truth, some help, some encour- 
agement. Second, the sincerity, the frankness, and 
the consistent Christian Hfe of the man had won 
the unbounded confidence of all his members. Not 
once did we hear any member or non-member ques- 
tion his devotion to Christ, or his sincerity in what 
he said or did. Third, as a preacher, pastor, or 
spiritual adviser he was always safe. He was gifted 
with excellent judgment and good sense, and had 
an almost intuitive knowledge of human nature. 
As one of his members said to me recently, ' ' He 
seemed to be able to read one's nature.'' We can- 
not conceive how it would be possible for a minister 
to gain fuller confidence of his members than Dr. 
Gerhard enjoyed. Of course he was criticised by 
some because of his high standards and his uncom- 
promising position with reference to the rectitude 
of church members, but this is creditable to him. 

His fervent love for Christ we believe was the 
most potent factor in his preaching. His sermons 
made one feel that to him Christ was all and in all. 
This was specially marked in his preaching after 
his visit to Palestine. How he warmed up when 
referring to the cities he had visited when he spoke 
of what Christ did in these places. We know 
there was little of the emotional in Dr. Gerhard's 
makeup, but we recall distinctly how much effort 
it required on his part to control his feelings when 
reading of Christ's sufferings. Frequently he was 
moved to tears when occasion required reference 
to Christ's infinite love for sin-stricken humanity. 



DE. GERHARD AS A CHRISTIAN MINISTER 101 

We fancy that to his mind his own great love for 
souls paled to utter insignificance as he thought of 
the Master's great sympathy for the distressed 
and His fervent love for the erring but returning 
sinner. Words fail me in my effort to portray his 
intense joy when he learned of the sincere efforts 
of persons in overcoming sin and in trying to do 
God's will, but when he learned that persons really 
loved Christ and lived upright lives for Christ's 
sake, he seemed overwhelmed with joy. 

We are not forgetting that he was an advocate 
of the New Theology, but his changed views, as he 
often told me, made Christ more real to him. We 
know, too, that he clung to Christ in the simplicity 
of a child to his dying hour. Some of us know 
that there was a reserve faith with which he sus- 
tained himself when face to face with something 
new that might possibly require adjustment, or 
that had to be reconciled to something fundamental 
in his belief. He was not afraid to look at the 
truth in a new form, but before he could accept it 
for himself, it was subjected to a most thorough 
test, and particularly did he require that it be in 
harmony with the Word as he understood it. We 
beheve, however, that he never for a moment had 
his faith in Christ shaken, nor did the advanced 
views which he held diminish his ardor for Christ 
or for souls. We believe he erred to his own hurt 
in being frank among ministers who did not know 
how tenaciously he held on to Christ, and who did 
not know how jealously he guarded the interests 



102 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

of the Church and the welfare of souls. No one 
could know him thoroughly without admiring his 
scholarship, his sincerity, his tenderness, his love 
for the truth, for souls, and, above all, for Christ. 

His love for the Church of Jesus Christ was un- 
bounded. His faith in her ascendancy and ultimate 
triumph was unwavering. His thorough knowledge 
of her history, together with the promises of the 
Word concerning her final victory, gave him unal- 
loyed joy in his labors as a minister and armed him 
with power to fight manfully against her every 
enemy. His was a joyous hope in spite of all the 
weaknesses and shortcomings of her membership. He 
was never narrow in his views. He undoubtedly loved 
the Reformed Church or denomination above every 
other, but he never regarded her as having a 
monopoly of the truth. He loved her history, her 
institutions and her ministers. He was a fearless 
champion of her views, and failed to find any de- 
nomination which met his own views so fully as did 
the Church in which he was a minister. He loved 
her freedom, and was glad for her conservatism. 
While he advanced beyond her rank and file, he was 
thankful that his Church was not spasmodic or 
dangerously progressive. 

His interest in the Church at large was only 
second to his interest in his own congregation. He 
was familiar with all her work everywhere, at home 
and abroad, in all details. Little escaped his watch- 
ful eye and his ever-increasing interest. No labor 
in her boards, or on the floor of Classis, or in the 



DR. GERHARD AS A CHRISTIAN MINISTER 103 

higher judicatories, was too arduous for his under- 
taking when he was called to duty. His judgment 
and foresight were appreciated far beyond the con- 
fines of his own Classis. He was frequently honored 
with appointments and elections to membership in 
the boards of the Church and we believe his labors 
were almost universally satisfactory. His work 
was not done in a perfunctory manner, but with 
the keenest interest he would study the problems 
of the Church and labor unceasingly to reach con- 
clusions that would prove helpful. He no doubt 
made mistakes, but they were of the head rather 
than of the heart, and they were made mainly dur- 
ing the last two years of his life when he was not 
strong enough physically to bear all the heavy bur- 
dens which fell to his lot. He was a man of noble 
motives, though he was possibly guilty of using 
clerical strategy when it alone seemed to serve the 
purpose of promoting a righteous cause. He him- 
self sometimes questioned the wisdom of such a 
course, but his ardent nature resisted a retrograde 
movement. Any action by a judicatory which to 
him seemed detrimental to her welfare, or as not 
voicing the sentiment of the very best and highest 
in the Church, would engross his attention and call 
forth efforts to counteract any unfavorable influence. 
He was jealous of the progress of the Church, as 
well as of her fair name, and he felt called upon to 
do all in his power to advance her interests and to 
preserve her from opprobrium. 
His word and work in the various judicatories 



104 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

commanded attention and respect and usually 
carried such conviction as was necessary to bring 
about the result he desired. He was a forceful 
speaker, but an inherent power more subtile than 
mere speech seemed to sway his audiences. He 
possessed force of character that added weight to 
his words so that they were almost irresistible. 
His sound sense, coupled with noble motives, usu- 
ally kept him on the right side of a question, and 
when he advocated a measure he did not mince 
words or beat about the bush. He was fearless 
and earnest, but not presumptuous or sarcastic. 
He was severe at times, but we believe the 
severity was not aimed as a blow against his 
opponents, but rather that it was an outbreak 
of uncontrollable convictions. In years of closest 
fellowship we found him safe, sound, sincere. 
We would have trusted him as we would our own 
right hand, and we do not expect to find many 
among mortals here below more thoroughly true 
to themselves, to their fellow-men, or to their 
God than was he. His enemies praised him 
for his Christian bearing, and admired his ster- 
ling qualities of heart and mind. While his 
ways failed to suit some people and his frankness 
was too searching for others, we must say for 
these, who loved him not as much perhaps as did 
some others, we at least never heard them ques- 
tion his wisdom, his sincerity, his Christianity. 

His was a great and noble soul, and his beautiful 
Christian life can never fade from the memory of 



DR. GERHARD AS A CHRISTIAN MINISTER 105 

those who knew him well and loved him dearly. 
No, he was not perfect, but he was a noble Chris- 
tian man, a Christian minister of unusual qualities 
of heart and mind, a most faithful pastor, with 
the keenest interest in the Church at large, and 
manifested such a love for the truth, for souls and 
for Christ as justifies the belief that he fought a 
good fight, finished his course, and kept the faith. 



CHAPTER IV. 



Dr. Gerhard as a Pastor 



I. As Pastor of the First Reformed Church at 

SUNBURY 

By Georgk Hili., Esq. 

Elder of the First Reformed Church, Sunbury, Penn'a 

II. As Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church at 
Columbia 

By Mr. Pearson E. Grugkr 

I.ANCASTER. PENN'A 
Elder of Trinity Reformed Church, Columbia, Penn'a 

III. As Pastor of St. Stephen's Reformed Church 
AT Reading 

By John K. Seaman, M.D. 
Elder of St. Stephen's Reformed Church, Reading, Penn'a 

AND 

Wilson D. DeLong, M,D. 
Deacon of St. Stephen's Reformed Church, Reading, Penn'a 



CHAPTER IV. 
Dr. Gerhard as a Pastor. 




ALVIN S. GERHARD graduated from 

Cthe Theological Seminary in the spring 
of 1870. He was licensed to preach 
the Gospel by Lancaster Classis, 
Synod of the Reformed Church in 
the United States, and dismissed to 
East Susquehanna Classis, where he 
was duly received, and, on October 4, 
1870, was ordained to the Christian 
ministry and installed as pastor of the First Re- 
formed Church, Sunbury, Pa. After a successful 
pastorate of almost nine years, he removed to 
Columbia, Pa., and July 1, 1879, took charge of a 
mission known as Trinity Reformed Church. 
Here he labored a little more than four years, 
when, on November 1, 1883, he assumed the pas- 
torate of a new interest in Reading, St. Stephen *s 
Reformed Church, to which he devoted the re- 
mainder of his ministry, nineteen years of faithful 
service. 



I. As Pastor of the First Reformed Church 
AT Sunbury. 

Licentiate Calvin S. Gerhard received from the 
Reformed Church at Sunbury, Pa., a unanimous 
call, and on the fourth of October, 1870, was duly 
installed as its pastor. He came here soon after 



110 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

graduating from the Theological Seminary at Mer- 
cersburg, a young man, well equipped for his work, 
which proved a decided success. 

He at once entered upon his work in earnest. In 
his journal he gives an account of his first week's 
work in Sunbury. He says : ' ' To-day it is just one 
week since I came to Sunbury. It seems a much 
longer time when I recollect the amount of work I 
have already done. I have called at seventy-two 
different places, and at some of these twice already. 
A good many people are sick at present. With the 
help of God I will do my duty by them as well as 
the rest of the congregation. ' ' 

When he took charge of the congregation it 
numbered only about 130 members. In his first 
report to Classis, in 1871, the membership had 
increased to 140, and during the year there were 
12 baptisms, 8 confirmed, 2 received by certificate, 
8 deaths, and $45.65 contributed towards benevo- 
lence. In the spring of 1874, the membership was 
185, and the amount contributed for benevolence 
had almost doubled, being $89.24. The growth 
was not phenomenal, due to local conditions, and 
during the next four years no increase was re- 
ported, but in his last report to Classis, in 1879, 
the membership was 193, and the benevolence 
$68.00. The largest amount for benevolence was 
raised in the year 1874-1875, when it almost 
reached the hundred dollar mark, namely, $99.96. 
The largest amount raised for congregational pur- 
poses during Rev. Gerhard's pastorate was 



DR. GERHARD AS A PASTOR 111 

$1150.00, in the year 1876-1877. The total statis- 
tics of his pastorate of almost nine years, accord- 
ing to the minutes of Classis, are 137 baptisms, 83 
confirmed, 69 received by certificate, 29 dismissed, 
53 deaths, and $629.41 contributed towards 
benevolence. 

His sermons were practical, pointed and interest- 
ing. Sometimes, when he wished to reach certain 
individuals, they were very direct. As a preacher 
he was highly esteemed, even beyond the bounds 
of the congregation. As an evidence of this fact I 
quote what one of our local papers said just before 
his removal to Columbia : ''Rev. C. S. Gerhard will 
preach his farewell sermon on next Sunday morn- 
ing. Sunbury's loss will be Columbia's gain, as Mr. 
Gerhard has been considered the finest preacher 
that has been in this place for years.'' 

He did a great deal of earnest personal work. He 
was persistent in following up, by personal visits, 
those whom he felt should become confirmed mem- 
bers of the congregation. There are many instances 
of sacrifices made, of deep longings to get certain 
individuals into the Church, and of earnest effort to 
help those in the Church to a higher and better life. 
Earnest young people, who were in deep spiritual 
distress, would apply to their pastor for help by 
letter and in person, and he would comfort and 
encourage them as best he could. 

He made many improvements in the church ser- 
vices during his pastorate. He was the first of 
the ministers in Sunbury to introduce the early 



112 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

Christmas service in the church and Sunday-school. 
He also introduced the full order of worship in the 
church, which has been used ever since by his 
successors, and which has helped our congregation 
to be churchly and loyal to our good Reformed 
faith. Through his efforts a fine parsonage was 
erected and paid for, which was quite an under- 
taking in those days and by so small a congregation. 

He took a deep interest in the Sunday-school, at 
one time raising three hundred dollars for new 
library cases and the purchase of four hundred 
volumes for the library. He also purchased a fine 
cabinet organ for the Sunday-school. 

He and I were much together, and kept in close 
touch with the various contentions then occurring 
among those at the head of the Church at large. 
Our views were identical, and on all doctrinal and 
theological questions we fully agreed. I learned 
much of him, and, because of my age and experi- 
ence, I was able to render him some assistance. 
From the time of his advent into our congregation 
I regarded him as a rising young man. I was 
fully aware of his great ability as a theologian and 
a Church worker. 

During his pastorate at Sunbury he contributed 
some notable articles to the Messenger and the 
Review. The latter were especially of a high order 
and challenged the attention and interest of the 
Church at large. His first Review article, in 1874, 
was entitled ' ' True Conversion and Religious Ex- 
perience.'' This was followed, in 1875, by a mas- 



DR. GERHARD AS A PASTOR 113 

terly production on ''Apostolic Succession," which 
was afterward printed in pamphlet form and widely 
circulated and favorably commented upon. In 1878 
he wrote on "Life Beyond the Grave/' 

The whole congregation and community at large 
regretted his determination to sever his relations 
with us. In looking back, I now regard his step as 
providential. He found a larger field for useful- 
ness, doing a great work at Columbia and a greater 
at Reading. Just before he left us, our congrega- 
tion presented him with a beautiful silver water 
service. He often referred to this act of kindness 
with much feeling. Usually, the resignation of a 
pastor dims the ardor of a congregation, and the 
new pastor, not the retiring one, is the recipient of 
gifts. In this case the loyalty, devotion and good 
wishes of his people went with him into his new 
field of labor. 

At a congregational meeting, held June 15, 1879, 
with N. F. Martz as President, and F. B. Richt- 
stine as Secretary, the following preamble and 
resolutions were unanimously adopted as the sense 
of the meeting in reference to the pastor. Rev. 
C. S. Gerhard : 

" Whereas, Through a mysterious dispensation of 
Providence, our pastor, Rev. C. S. Gerhard, has (re- 
luctantly, as we believe,) been led to the conclusion 
that it has become his duty to bring about a dissolu- 
tion of the relation which, for the last nine years, has 
so intimately and pleasantly existed between him, as 
pastor, and us, as members of the First Reformed 
Church of Sun bury; therefore, be it resolved: 



114 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

"First. It is with the most profound sorrow and 
regret that we are called upon at this time, when our 
church is in its most prosperous condition, spiritually 
and financially, and our pastor has arrived at the age of 
his greatest usefulness, to accept his resignation, and 
thus sever a relation that has for years been of the most 
pleasant, satisfactory and profitable character. 

Second. In this dispensation we recognize the con- 
trolling hand of that High Power to which our minds 
have so often and earnestly been directed by our pastor, 
as the only source of peace and consolation in times of 
doubt and trouble, and we do submit with Christian 
fortitude, knowing that * the winds are tempered to the 
shorn lamb, ' and that the near future will make all 
things clear, disclosing the fact that this separation will 
prove a mutual benefit to all interested. 

" Third. We regard ourselves under special obliga- 
tions to Rev. Gerhard personally for the abiding and 
self-sacrificing interest manifested by him in every enter- 
prise having for its objects the building up and general 
benefit of our church, and freely admit that it has been 
through his energy and perseverance that all the enter- 
prises referred to, without exception, have been brought 
to a successful issue. 

" Fourth. In his new field of labor Rev. Gerhard 
will be followed by the prayers and best wishes of all 
the members of our congregation for his future success 
in his ministry, and continued health and happiness of 
himself and his beloved family; and we congratulate 
our brethren of the Columbia charge on their success in 
securing the services of one whom we regard as one of 
the most successful pastors and profound and able 
preachers in our Reformed Church." 

His sad and untimely death was a great shock 
and mystery to me, but, bowing in humble submis- 
sion to Him who doeth all things well, I hope to 



DR. GERHARD AS A PASTOR 115 

meet him in our future home, to which he directed 
our minds and hearts while he was our beloved pas- 
tor at Sunbury. 



11. As Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church 
AT Columbia. 

The coming of Rev. C. S. Gerhard to Columbia 
marked a somewhat decided quickening of the 
people's interest in church matters, beginning, 
probably with many at least, in mere curiosity as 
to the new man, but finally hardening into sus- 
tained attachment to both church and pastor. The 
strictly business-like methods of managing church 
aif airs inaugurated by the new pastor, and which 
were cordially adopted by the consistory, seemed 
to awaken a fuller appreciation among the people 
of the work in hand and paved the way for the 
unmistakable progress in the Christian life that 
bore abundant fruit later in the notable advance of 
''Trinity'' among the churches of the town, and 
which, under the present pastor's vigorous admin- 
istration, is more than holding the enviable posi- 
tion attained under Mr. Gerhard's initiative. 

Early in Mr. Gerhard's pastorate the question of 
getting the church out of debt was mooted, and, 
notwithstanding a rather discouraging outlook at 
the time, was successfully carried through, fol- 
lowed shortly thereafter by the action of the 
church in announcing its ability to dispense with 
the financial help given for so many years by the 



116 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

Home Mission Board, and becoming a self-sustain- 
ing church ; at once taking a high position in the 
estimation of sister churches. .Thereafter its ad- 
vance in prestige and influence for good was rapid 
and continuous. 

As a discipHnarian Mr. Gerhard occupied a high 
place. As with all congregations at that time, 
ours had a small proportion of a rather turbulent 
character which needed careful training and at 
times rather stern speech. I remember one Sun- 
day he was much annoyed by a knot of young 
people indulging in whispered conversation during 
the service. He stopped once or twice, when it 
ceased, but began again immediately on his resum- 
ing his sermon. Finally, he rapped on the desk, 
and, looking directly at them, said, * ' If that talk- 
ing begins again, I will call you to order byname.^' 
There was no further disturbance. 

By their lives shall we judge men, by their fruits 
we know them. The most unswerving sincerity 
and honesty of purpose were prominent traits of 
Mr. Gerhard's character. He felt not only the 
dignity, but had also a keen apprehension of the 
awful solemnity, of his position as shepherd of the 
flock of the Christ. That feeling exhibited itself, 
all unconsciously to himself, in many ways. In his 
preaching, his catechetical instruction of the young, 
in his discussions of the current events of the day 
with friends, his position was always taken after 
painstaking thought, and the sincerity of his opin- 
ions was so evident that it always commanded our 



DR. GERHARD AS A PASTOR 117 

respect, even when, as was sometimes the case, we 
could not agree with him. I well remember, on one 
occasion, the conversation turned on the selection, 
by a young man, of a business or profession as a 
life work. Speaking of his own ambitions while a 
student, he said that sometimes his idea of his duty 
lay in one direction, sometimes in another, mostly 
towards the legal profession, towards which his 
tastes, and, as he thought, his abilities pointed, but 
he could never get rid of the thought ' ' Woe is me 
if I preach not the Gospel.'* That voice was so 
insistent that it finally decided his selection — an 
action he never regretted. 

In all the duties attending his office he was not 
only an able teacher, but a most conscientious and 
safe example. His whole life, as far as I knew it, 
was an exemplification of St. Paul's exhortation, ' ' Be 
ye followers together of me, and mark them which 
walk so as ye have us for an ensample." He was 
no respecter of persons, but would greet the 
humblest of his, or any people, with the same 
kindly cordiality and interest in their welfare as 
he extended to those occupying the so-called higher 
walks of life. All to whom I have spoken of him 
recognized in him the true Christian gentleman 
he was. 

Now, speaking strictly of his pastoral work at 
Columbia, I can only say that Mr. Gerhard's thor- 
oughness, his unstinted labor, his self-abnegation, 
and his prayers, bore abundant fruit. Most of the 
people, quick to appreciate the example set them, 



118 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

had unbounded confidence in his leadership and 
rallied to his support heartily. In looking over the 
minutes of the consistory meetings, simply a nar- 
rative of the struggles and work of Trinity Church 
at that time, the decided growth of the people, as 
reflected through that body, is strikingly exhibited 
to those familiar enough with it to be able to read 
between the lines. The people grew in grace, and 
abounded in every good work. 

From the minutes of Classis we learn that there 
were 157 members in the congregation when Rev. 
Gerhard assumed charge of the mission. In his 
first report to Classis, in the spring of 1880, he gave 
the following statistics : 170 members, 17 baptisms, 
13 confirmed, 13 received by certificate, 5 names 
erased, $93.04 contributed for benevolent purposes, 
and $960.00 raised for congregational purposes. In 
his last report, in the spring of 1883, the statistics 
were : 185 members, 14 baptisms, 10 confirmed, 11 
received by certificate, 13 dismissed, 1 name erased, 
2 deaths, $66.00 given to benevolent objects, and 
$2,633.00 contributed for congregational purposes. 
The total statistics for the four years of his pastor- 
ate are : 95 baptisms, 55 confirmed, 36 received by 
certificate, 26 dismissed, 16 names erased, 15 deaths, 
$319.89 for benevolence, $5,373.00 for congrega- 
tional purposes. 

When his resolve to enter another field of labor was 
made known, it was received with general regret. 
A correspondent to the Lancaster New Era wrote : 



DR. GERHARD AS A PASTOR 119 

Columbians will learn with regret that the pastor of 
Trinity Reformed Church, Rev. C. S. Gerhard, has 
accepted a call to another charge, that of St. Stephen's 
Church of Reading. His resignation of his charge here 
will take effect November 1. Mr. Gerhard has made a 
host of friends outside of his congregation during his pas- 
torate here, and they regret exceedingly the circum- 
stances which remove him from their midst. As a 
member of the School Board, filling an unexpired 
term, he exerted himself to the fullest to discharge the 
duties of that position faithfully, as his colleagues will 
testify. As a gentleman he was affable and pleasant, 
and as a minister of God*s Word was eloquent and ear- 
nest in the pulpit, and watchful over those confided to 
his care as a pastor. Columbia assuredly loses a good 
citizen in the departure of Mr. Gerhard." 

A local paper has this to say, among other ex- 
pressions of appreciation : 

** Mr. Gerhard has been pastor of Trinity Reformed 
Church for about four years, and he leaves it with all its 
former debt cancelled, its property improved, an in- 
creased membership, and a strong Church pride among 
that membership." 

Verily, the memory of the just is blessed. 

III. As Pastor of St. Stephen's Reformed 
Church at Reading. 

The first time we saw Dr. Gerhard was one Sun- 
day morning in April, 1894. We entered St. 
Stephen's Church for the first time. We took a 
seat in the back part of the church. The attend- 
ance was not large and the church not inviting. 



120 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

The services seemed cold and formal. The preacher 
impressed us as a man of more than ordinary- 
intellect, who made no effort at oratory, but 
preached a plain, practical sermon. From the 
exact and precise way in which he made the 
announcements we concluded that he was a man 
who was systematic and methodical in his work, 
which we afterwards found to be correct, not only 
in the public services of the sanctuary, but also in 
his pastoral labors, and in all the other work of the 
Church. Although we were not very strongly im- 
pressed with the first sermon we heard Dr. Ger- 
hard preach, it awakened in us a desire to hear 
him again, which we did in a few weeks, when we 
became acquainted with him and were impressed 
that he was a strong man. He soon afterwards 
called on us at our home, and invited us to attend 
the services of his church. Later on he urged us 
to unite with some church, and gave strong rea- 
sons why we should unite with St. Stephen's. We 
united with the church in the fall of 1894, and 
were under the pastorate of Dr. Gerhard during 
the last eight years of his life. These were prob- 
ably the most eventful years of his ministry. Dur- 
ing this time he published his book on '' Death and 
the Resurrection,'' built St. Stephen's Reformed 
Church, and buried his two sons, John and Glase. 
We learned to know him intimately as a man, a 
preacher and a pastor. 

It is about his work as a pastor in St. Stephen's 
Reformed Church that we are to write. We under- 



DR. GEEHAED AS A PASTOR 121 

take this task at the earnest request of Rev. Thomas 
W. Dickert, the editor, and from the love of him 
whose memory we wish cherished. We feel in no 
wise ' ' sufficient for these things, ' ' but are confident 
of the charitable indulgence of those who will read it. 

There are probably very few pastors who know 
their members as well as Dr. Gerhard knew the 
members of St. Stephen's. He knew every man, 
woman and child. He not only knew their names, 
but he knew their character, their strength and 
their weakness, their success and their failure, 
their material prosperity and their spiritual condi- 
tion. This information about his members he ob- 
tained not out of curiosity, but with an ardent 
desire that he might help them. 

He took an interest in every member of his 
church. If any were out of work or met reverses 
in business, they had his sympathy and counsel. 
He was often successful in getting work for the 
unemployed. But his greatest concern was for the 
spiritual welfare of his members. He spared no 
effort in this direction. He visited them at their 
homes, invited them to attend the services of the 
church, and often placed books and periodicals into 
their hands to read, to assist them in their spiritual 
life and growth. He was frank and sincere in his 
intercourse with his members. He never betrayed 
their confidence. He was a true and trusted friend. 
He was a good judge of human nature. He soon 
discovered what his members were fitted for and 
put them to work. He believed in a working 



122 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

church. He wanted no drones in the hive. He was 
often worried and harassed by the shortcomings of 
his members. When he saw the indifference of 
those of whom he had expected better things, and 
the waywardness of others of his members, he often 
became sad and discouraged. But he never de- 
spaired. He used every effort to lead them in the 
right direction. 

He hated sham and hypocrisy. He was often 
stern and severe in denouncing wrong, and thereby 
incurred the displeasure of some of his members, 
but whenever he gave unnecessary offense he was 
ready and willing to apologize. It was only those 
who understood him thoroughly who could appreci- 
ate his worth. No pastor can satisfy the individual 
demands of everybody. Some members of the 
church are exacting and uncharitable towards their 
pastor. Dr. Gerhard was not perfect. He had his 
failings and shortcomings. No one knew them 
better and deplored them more than he did. In a 
sermon which he preached during the last few years 
on ''The Mastery of Self,*' he pointed out how the 
Christian could overcome and rise above temptation, 
and by persistent effort and by the grace of God 
could remain cool and composed during the most 
trying circumstances, then paused and said in a slow 
and solemn manner and with much feeling, ' ' I have 
not attained this state, but am striving after it.'' 

In visiting the sick, as in all his other work of 
the church, he was regular and systematic. He 
entered the sick-room in a quiet manner. He ex- 



DR. GERHARD AS A PASTOR 12S 

ercised good judgment in regard to the physical 
and mental condition of the sick member. He 
avoided everything that might excite and disturb 
the sick. His prayers were offered in choice and 
simple language, and seemed to express the ardent 
longings and strong faith of a great soul. Many 
of his members have declared to us that his visits 
to them, and his ardent prayers for them during 
their sickness, gave them cheer and comfort, and 
sustained their faith and trust in their Heavenly 
Father during their affliction. One invalid mem- 
ber quite lately said that the visits of Dr. Gerhard 
were better than the best tonic. Through the 
regular and frequent visits to the sick, through 
the ardent prayers in private and public for their 
welfare and recovery, he became greatly endeared 
to his members. Some of his invalid members he 
visited regularly every week, and on the same day 
of the week, and they looked forward with pleasure 
to these visits. When he was sick in bed and 
could not visit his sick members, he often sent his 
devoted wife to them, with some token of remem- 
brance and to let them know that he was thinking 
of them. The last time he was out on the street 
was a few days before he took to bed during his 
last illness. He had a basket of fruit to take to 
one of his sick members, who lived some distance 
away, but soon returned to his home, and said he 
only got around the block because he became too 
exhausted to go any further. 



124 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

In 1898 the present church edifice was erected. 
It was evident some years before, from the steady- 
increase of the membership of St. Stephen's con- 
gregation, that a larger and more modern church 
building was necessary. This was an important 
event in the history of the congregation and gave 
the pastor a great deal of thought and concern. In 
his own words, ' ' it arose before him like a moun- 
tain," but he finally undertook it. It was about 
this time that his health began to fail, and it is 
remarkable how much time and energy he spent in 
the erection and completion of the church. Noth- 
ing seemed to escape his watchful eye from the 
basement to the tower. He often made the work- 
men tear out some parts that were not according to 
the specifications. 

He solicited all the subscriptions, collected all the 
money and paid it over to the treasurer. He was 
chairman of the building committee, purchased the 
church furniture, selected the memorial windows, 
and wrote all contracts. He also got Mr. Carnegie 
to donate the large pipe organ. He was a good 
business man, and in the erection of the church 
everything was conducted in a business-like man- 
ner. We can in this connection appropriately refer 
to a favorite expression of his, " good housekeep- 
ing. '^ He was a good housekeeper. He did not 
seem to forget anything. He was always on time. 
All payments were made when due. During all this 
time, with these heavy burdens upon him and with 
failing health, he did not neglect his pastoral 



DR. GERHARD AS A PASTOR 126 

duties. This he could only accomplish by a system- 
atic use of his time and a strong devotion to his 
work. Whether Dr. Gerhard stood in his pulpit, 
by the bedside of the sick and in the homes of his 
members, or watched and directed the building of 
his church, he had the true spirit of a pastor and a 
shepherd. Jesus, the good Shepherd, gave His life 
for the sheep. So Dr. Gerhard sacrificed his health, 
consecrated and devoted his life for the flock. 

In this loving tribute to our beloved and de- 
parted pastor we made no attempt at exaggeration, 
but speak of him as we knew him, and of his work 
as we saw it. 

While Dr. Gerhard will be remembered by the 
members of St. Stephen's Church as a man of 
profound learning, a good preacher, and a most 
useful man in the Church at large, his memory 
will be most cherished for what he did for the con- 
gregation as her pastor, and what he was to the 
individual as a spiritual adviser and friend. Every 
one who knew him well and was under his guiding 
hand could not help but be uplifted and edified. A 
great deal of his best work was done in a quiet, 
private way. He was solicitous of the individual 
member rather than of the congregation as a whole. 
True, it gave him great joy to see the congregation 
grow in membership, but greater was his joy in 
the spiritual development of the members. 

He was emphatically spiritually minded, and had 
no time for show, or the spectacular, or the sensa- 



126 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

tional. He had great confidence in his people, and 
had implicit trust in them as a body. 

At different times we heard him say in consistory 
meetings, when a new project was discussed, "We 
must have confidence in our people/' Confidence 
begets confidence. It grieved him very much if a 
member fell into temptation. He could not rest 
until he had spoken to such a person, and in him 
could be found a safe counselor and guide. He had 
a warm and sympathetic heart for all the poor and 
needy, the sick and suffering of his flock. As to 
the former, he not only administered to their spir- 
itual needs, but often, if not invariably, assisted 
them in material ways. The sick of the congrega- 
tion were of great concern to him. How he wished 
to be informed whether there were any sick! His 
visits to the sick were frequent, and always brought 
cheer and comfort to the sufferer. We have per- 
sonal knowledge that toward the close of his life 
he made visits to people not nearly as sick as he was 
himself, and who are today enjoying health and 
life. 

As a pastor, he had an interest in the smallest 
details of congregational activity. In fact, so 
great was this devotion that it amounted to almost 
a fault. While he had great powers as a leader of 
men, he was also a good organizer, and knew how to 
put men to work, he was not satisfied unless he per- 
sonally saw that the work was carried on success- 
fully. All auxiliary associations, — ^the Sunday-school, 



DR. GERHARD AS A PASTOR 127 

Ladies' Aid Society, Christian Endeavor Societies, 
and all others, — claimed his untiring attention. 
He was a great Sunday-school man, and exercised 
the function of pastor of the Sunday-school as 
fully as he did that of pastor of the congregation. 
He very rarely missed a meeting of the Ladies' 
Aid Society, and his foresight and executive abili- 
ties furnished very largely the impetus for the 
monumental work the organization has been 
enabled to accomplish. And so in the other socie- 
ties his guiding hand was readily seen. He had 
wonderful capacity for work, and work that 
counted. In the language of one of the younger 
members, '' He made things come to pass." 

This, we believe, can be attributed largely to two 
causes, promptness and system. We can not re- 
member that he was ever late in any of his numer- 
ous appointments. Promptness was a law with 
him. He was always ready. He had his work so 
arranged that all the exercises which he conducted 
worked out with the precision of clock-work. When 
the time came for a meeting— consistory, or com- 
mittee, or any other — he was always prepared to 
discuss the business which was before the body, 
and almost invariably the plans and methods which 
he suggested were adopted with little or no change. 
We recall very distinctly on one, and only one, occa- 
sion the majority was against him. He laughed 
heartily and said, '' I am with the majority.'' 

In the erection of the new church edifice he 
demonstrated, in an eminent degree, his masterful 



128 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

abilities as a man of affairs. One man, a practical 
builder, remarked that he was architect enough to 
design a church building. The designs were made 
very largely according to the plans he had worked 
out for himself. He knew to the smallest detail 
what the church would be like, and had in his mind 
the complete building, even before the old buildings 
were razed to the ground. His oversight during the 
construction was constant and watchful, and no 
inferior material was allowed to be used. His joy 
over the work as it progressed was great. His sat- 
isfaction at its completion was his evident remuner- 
ation. The fine organ which adds so much to our 
worship was obtained solely by his efforts. 

The people of St. Stephen's have great reason for 
gratitude to Dr. Gerhard for what he did for them 
in a material way. 

Coming to the city before the congregation as a 
mission was organized, he went to work with the 
enthusiasm and strength of youth. His labors and 
sacrifices brought about results which challenge the 
admiration of all who knew him. His people loved 
him. This was fully demonstrated in the way they 
responded to all his requests. He used to say that 
he never asked for anything that his people would 
not do. He sincerely appreciated the work and 
loyalty of his members. Although not demonstra- 
tive in expressing his appreciation, he was sincere. 

During his absence in search for health, his so- 
licitation for the welfare of the congregation did 
not diminish. In the matter of supply during this 



DR. GERHARD AS A PASTOR 129 

period he was always careful, and, as a result, the 
attendance at the services was good and the 
progress and financial condition of the congrega- 
tion did not suffer. 

When he realized that his strength would not 
permit the resumption of his work at the close of 
the vacation granted him by the consistory, he 
returned with a plan for meeting the emergency. 
To the consistory he expressed his desire to with- 
draw from the active pastorate, and his willingness 
to accept the office of pastor emeritus. 

At his urgent request, therefore, the consistory, 
with deep regret for the necessity of this action, 
acceded to his wishes. He was duly elected pastor 
emeritus, with the understanding that the new 
relation was to begin November 1, 1902, but, un- 
fortunately, he did not live to see that day. 

When the proposition of a candidate for the 
active pastorate was in order, we found that he 
had given the matter a great deal of thought and 
earnest prayer. Indeed, we discovered that, at 
the very beginning of his failing health, he had 
watched the career of a certain young man and 
had him preach for us a year before for the pur- 
pose, as we now believe, of getting the members 
of St. Stephen's to see and hear him. During his 
retirement in the Pocono Mountains he sent for 
this young man to have an interview with him in 
regard to his proposed plans. Upon his recom- 
mendation of the man for the place, he remarked, 
** After serious consideration of each probable can- 



130 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

didate for the place, my mind would always revert 
to the one upon whom my choice had fallen as best 
fitted for the position/' 

In consequence of his knowledge of the man, 
and in deference to his wish, we invited Rev. 
Thomas W. Dickert, pastor of Solomon's Reformed 
Church at Macungie, Pa. , to preach trial sermons. 
He made a favorable impression upon the congre- 
gation and was duly nominated by the consistory. 
At the time of the election, Dr. Gerhard did not 
bring any pressure to bear upon the members, but 
advised them to vote according to their convictions, 
and took pains to have the ballots so prepared that 
there would be no difficulty in making an intelli- 
gent choice, and no doubt as to the expressed wish 
of the people. As a result of the ballot. Rev. 
Dickert was elected, and entered upon his work 
November 1, 1902. The wisdom of our choice 
under the guidance of Dr. Gerhard has since 
become fully evident. 

The love and devotion which his people had for 
him were manifested in a remarkable degree during 
his last illness and at the time of his death and 
burial. The grief and sorrow felt by the congre- 
gation and Sunday-school could not be repressed. 
Tears were in the eyes of all. It cast a pall over 
every one, from the youngest to the oldest. We 
still mourn for him. 

St. Stephen's Reformed congregation had a phe- 
nomenal growth during the pastorate of Dr. Ger- 
hard. Beginning with 57 members, March 16, 



DR. GERHARD AS A PASTOR 



131 



1884, it developed into one of the strongest congre- 
gations in that section of the city, having 751 
members at the time of his death, October 29, 1902. 
The statistics for the nineteen years of Dr. Ger- 
hard's pastorate at Reading are as follows : 















'O 




a 

3 

m 


o 

TO 


o1 
^ o 










-^■^1 




QJ 








Of 




i 


a 


a 


l§l 


-d 


1 






si 

5 o 


13 ^ 




-a 


_ro 


c 


■S^i 


•^ 


© 


fl 


-^^ 




"H ^o 


§ 


a 


"a 


q3 


0"^ o 


a 


a 


+3 
o3 


It 


S3 a 


c^& 


(U 


a> 


OS 


o 




^ 


03 


<D 


s ^ 


O aj 


o O -1 


>^ 


S 


pq 


o 


f^'-a'S 


fl 


12; 


fi 


s-o 


OW 


OOPh 


1884 


93 


6 


16 


77 








1 


230 


$ 9 


$ 


1885 


124 


14 


6 


28 


3 








311 


31 


675 


1886 


183 


27 


18 


52 


4 


6 


2 


350 


67 


1,175 


1887 


234 


37 


29 


28 


1 


5 


4 


400 


99 


1,008 


1888 


292 


34 


30 


47 


3 


12 


6 


518 


289 


2,326 


1889 


321 


24 


28 


39 


14 


15 


3 


575 


322 


1,276 


1890 


401 


46 


50 


48 


7 


8 


7 


663 


207 


2,773 


1891 


451 


33 


35 


45 


19 


10 


8 


623 


210 


2,278 


1892 


492 


35 


39 


20 


9 


8 


8 


671 


240 


2,600 


1893 


528 


42 


29 


37 


13 


13 


3 


682 


658 


1,750 


1894 


574 


32 


26 


45 


8 


10 


7 


643 


900 


1,800 


1895 


573 


27 


25 


35 


12 


47 


9 


650 


400 


1,800 


1896 


600 


29 


40 


21 


11 


20 


3 


700 


400 


2,216 


1897 


652 


33 


33 


62 


18 


20 


7 


738 


475 


2,525 


1898 


665 


28 


31 


21 


15 


18 


10 


769 


460 


6,641 


1899 


679 


32 


26 


16 


3 


19 


9 


770 


400 


9,306 


1900 


702 


32 


36 


45 


16 


37 


11 


800 


425 


11,517 


1901 


723 


31 


27 


34 


15 


9 


13 


838 


430 


6,500 


1902 


752 


24 


44 


32 


15 


17 


16 


860 


996 


5,383 


Totals 


752 


566 


568 


732 


186 


274 


127 


860 


7018 


63,549 



CHAPTER V. 
Dr. Gerhard and the Church at Large 

By the Rev. Rufus W. Miller, D.D. 

Secretary of the Sunday-school Board of the Reformed Church In the 
United States, Philadelphia, Penn'a 



CHAPTER V. 
Dr. Gerhard and the Church at Large. 




NE cannot be a good minister of a con- 

Ogregation without being a good minis- 
' ter of the Church at large. One can- 
not be a good minister of a denomi- 
nation without being a good minister 
of the Christian Church. One cannot 
be a good minister of the Christian 
Church without being a good minister 
of the universal kingdom of God's 
moral order. The ministry of Dr. Calvin S. Ger- 
hard exemplified this truth. His was the enlarging 
vision, the rare combination of a scholar and prac- 
tical man of affairs, the breadth of soul and grasp 
of the truth that the minister of the Gospel, like the 
local church, exists not for himself but for the com- 
munity. Faithful a man must be in the duties of 
the pastorate, but he must not leave undone those 
other duties not immediately connected with his 
own flock. He must labor for the welfare of his 
own family, for the community, the denomination 
of his choice, and the Church of Christ universal. 
Dr. Gerhard had an absorbing interest in others, 
and in all that pertained to the progress of the 
Church of Christ. He had that necessary prepara- 
tion for altruistic service, a vision of God which 
sustains and inspires every good word and work. 

The great characters of the Scriptures had the 
heavenly vision. Abraham, before he left his native 



136 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

land ; Jacob, as he pillowed his head on the stone 
at Bethel ; Moses, while tending his flock among 
the foothills of Horeb ; Samuel, as he lay in sleep ; 
Ezekiel, in the land of the Chaldeans ; Peter, on 
the house top ; and Paul, caught up into Paradise. 

It is essential that our divine Lord be a living 
reality. God must be present in the heart before 
he can be manifest in action. His power must 
move the soul before it can be evidenced in the 
speech. 

Added to this vision of God, there was the strik- 
ing personality of Dr. Gerhard which made him so 
greatly useful in the general work of the Church. 
He possessed a singularly candid nature. Intense 
he was. His conscience gripped him. Strong in 
his convictions, he threw himself with all his powers 
into whatever he undertook. His logical mind 
made it possible for him to present a subject in 
clean-cut, convincing manner. His sympathies 
were with every good movement. He had a disin- 
terested breadth of vision, and was unwearied in 
the general activities of the Church. 

During the long years of his pastorate at Reading, 
notwithstanding the exacting duties incident to the 
establishment of a mission congregation and its de- 
velopment to self-support, he, nevertheless, identi- 
fied himself with the educational and moral interests 
of the community. For a number of years he was 
a member of the School Board of Reading. He was 
interested in the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
tion, and by pen and voice assisted in its work. 



DR. GERHARD AND THE CHURCH AT LARGE 137 

The Ministerial Association, composed of ministers 
of various denominations, received his constant sup- 
port. Although it was necessary for him to lead 
and take charge, even to the minutest detail, of the 
work of erecting three buildings (including the 
present monumental structure) for his congregation 
in Reading, yet his brethren bear witness to the 
fact that during this period he encouraged, co-oper- 
ated with, and assisted in the establishment of new 
Reformed congregations in Reading, one of which 
was located within a half-dozen squares of his 
church. He was seldom absent from the weekly 
gatherings of the Reformed ministers of Reading, 
and in these conferences he was a trusted and wise 
counselor. 

In the annual meetings of Classis, the records 
show that Dr. Gerhard was always present from the 
beginning to the close. He was President of East 
Susquehanna Classis in 1875-1876 ; of Schuylkill 
Classis in 1891-1892 ; and of Reading Classis in 
1899-1900. He was likewise regular in his attend- 
ance as a delegate at the Eastern Synod and the 
General Synod. No one was better known during 
the last twenty years of his ministry, or more influ- 
ential in shaping legislation in the ecclesiastical 
judicatories of the Church. No one was honored 
more frequently by his brethren as delegate to 
Synod and General Synod. No one was more inter- 
ested in every item of business, whether on the 
floor of Classis, Synod, or General Synod. There 
are some brethren who manifest an interest in one 



138 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

or two subjects, claiming the attention of the 
Church ; there are some upon whom the duties of a 
chosen representative sit hghtly. But it was not 
so with Dr. Gerhard. Every subject challenging 
the attention of Church judicatories appealed to 
him. When he spoke he commanded attention, and 
seldom, indeed, did he advocate any measure 
that failed of adoption. His was a luminous mind. 
He had the happy faculty of seizing the salient 
point, and of presenting the truth in a manner that 
carried conviction and could not be controverted. 
* ' In every work he began, he did it with all his 
heart.'' With courage, yet with tact, he advocated 
in Classis the division of large charges. He aided 
in the formation of Reading Classis. 

The minutes of Synod give evidence of his in- 
terest in the varied affairs of the Church. Eastern 
Synod elected him its President, October 21, 1891, 
Harrisburg, Pa. The cause of education, as repre- 
sented in the institutions of the Church, had in him 
an enthusiastic and loyal supporter. In 1893 he 
was Chairman of the Committee on the Theological 
Seminary. At the time of his death he was Chair- 
man of Eastern Synod's Committee on the endow- 
ment of Franklin and Marshall College. He seldom 
failed to attend the annual commencement exer- 
cises, both of the Seminary and of the College. 
The Theological Seminary especially interested him, 
for he was by nature a student, and by choice a 
theologian. 



DR. GERHARD AND THE CHURCH AT LARGE 139 

Notwithstanding- the many duties and distrac- 
tions of a large city congregation, he found time 
for original research and gave evidence of high 
scholarship. To him the search for truth was a 
passion, and with his open mind and courageous 
soul he feared not to proclaim the truth as he saw 
it. How appropriate the dedication of his book, 
''Death and the Resurrection,'' ''To all of God's 
children who love the truth." 

Dr. Gerhard was a frequent contributor to the 
Church papers. His theological articles in the 
Reformed Church Review were many, and always 
on timely topics. He kept abreast of the theologi- 
cal thinking of his day. He also showed his 
interest in the religious education of the young, by 
preparing ' ' Bible Studies ' ' in the form of ques- 
tions and answers, for children in the Sunday-school 
and in the home, published by our Sunday-school 
Board. It is an invaluable manual in catechetics. 
Questions and answers alike are simple, clear and 
definite. The book is an excellent example of 
good method. 

It was a delight and an inspiration to him to 
have close converse and intimate relations with 
the professors at the Seminary. He maintained 
correspondence with a classmate and others, on 
theological questions. He took a personal interest 
in the election of the right men to professorships. 
It is no secret that the mind of the Church was 
directed toward him, and, if Dr. Gerhard had lived, 



140 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

he would doubtless have been elected to a pro- 
fessorship in the Seminary at Lancaster, Pa. 

It is evident that the influence of his earnest life 
and scholarly thinking, caused his son Glase to 
follow in his father's footsteps and enter the 
ministry. The Huguenot mother said, as she stood 
by the road along which they were dragging her 
mangled son to the burning pile of faggots, "Glory 
be to Jesus Christ and His witnesses.'' Dr. Ger- 
hard had that heroic and conquering faith, — a 
faith whose office it is to see unseen things, and as 
a Christian pastor seeing his son go out into the 
responsible work of the ministry, he accepted it as 
the crowning glory of his life work. How the 
early death of his son pierced his heart, and how 
his faith sustained him, is indicated by the report 
he prepared as Chairman of the Committee on The 
State of the Church, Eastern Synod, October, 1901. 
His son Glase died July 22, 1901. In his report 
he says : 

" There has been much sickness and there have been 
many transitions from earth to heaven among the peo- 
ple whom we represent. During the year an unusual 
number of our ministers also exchanged the cross for 
the crown. Some of them entered the Church tri- 
umphant in a good old age, after they had worn them- 
selves out in the service of the Lord. Others passed 
away in the glow of their young manhood, with the 
fire of enthusiasm burning in their hearts, and the 
breath of aspiration full upon their lips. We cannot 
solve the hidden mystery, connected with their early 
decease, but with the hush of silence lying upon our 



DR. GERHARD AND THE CHURCH AT LARGE 141 

faltering tongues we look up out of our stony griefs and 
begin to whisper, in broken accents: ' It is God's way. 
His will, not ours, be done.' And then we take up 
the burdens of life more earnestly than ever, and 
rejoice because He lives, and they live, and we also 
may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and 
the fellowship of His sufferings." 

For thirteen years, from 1889 to the close of his 
life, he was a member of the Board of Home 
Missions, of the Eastern and the Potomac Synods, 
and was on its Executive Council during the entire 
period. 

The Secretary of the Board, Rev. Dr. Ellis N. 
Kremer, says : 

He looked at both sides of a question of whatever 
nature, and was as valuable in council, with regard to 
finances, as to the other questions which had to be 
considered in Mission fields. He frequently, after dis- 
cussion, was depended upon to formulate the action 
the Board decided to take." 

The wonderful scope of man's mechanical energy 
in our day, appealed to him as a call for a corres- 
ponding widening of the spiritual energy of Chris- 
tian people. He believed that the largeness of our 
Christian helpfulness should be brought to the 
compass and cathoHcity of Christ's. He, there- 
fore, advocated the location of missions not simply, 
nor indeed primarily, for the benefit of a few 
Reformed people in a given place, but for the 
saving of the unchurched, wherever there was 
spiritual need and opportunity. 



142 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

Not our own congregation, nor our own city, nor 
our own Reformed people, nor our country — nothing 
short of the world— is the " all the world'' to which 
Christ has sent us to give the Gospel, and upon all 
the world we ought to have our hearts set. Dr. 
Gerhard did not believe it was right to say that we 
can best serve all the world by helping directly only 
our center, and so give and do only for it. That 
has a plausible sound, but it does not accord with 
the physiology of the Christian body. It lacks 
Christlike vision, and it dreadfully imperils the 
intelligent wideness of one's own character. 

The offerings of the congregation Dr. Gerhard 
served bear witness to his interest in the cause of 
Foreign Missions. Mrs. D. B. Schneder, a mem- 
ber of his congregation, whom he confirmed, is now 
one of the most useful members of our Japan mission. 

The value of Dr. Gerhard's services to the 
Church at large appears clearly in his relations to 
the General Synod. He was a delegate to the General 
Synod in 1875, 1878, 1887, 1890 ; an advisory mem- 
ber, 1893, 1896 ; a delegate and president of the 
General Synod meeting at Tiffin, Ohio, in 1899, and 
an advisory member in 1902. He attended the 
special meeting of the General Synod in 1891, and 
advocated union of the Reformed Church in the 
United States with the Reformed Church in 
America. His voice was always in favor of union 
and co-operation with other denominations. He 
stood for a United Reformed Church. A man of 
pronounced convictions, he retained to the last the 



DR. GERHARD AND THE CHURCH AT LARGE 143 

respect, confidence, and good-will, of those who 
differed with him in theological opinions. His 
election to the presidency of the General Synod is 
a signal illustration of this fact. The brother who 
nominated him, in his speech emphasized the point 
that, while differing with Dr. Gerhard in attitude 
and loyalty to college and theological school, he 
could cheerfully present his name for the highest 
office in the Reformed Church, because of his faith 
in the fairness and sincerity of the man. During 
that meeting of General Synod at Tiffin, Dr. Ger- 
hard, as presiding officer, and at the same time a 
member of a Board whose work seemed to be 
criticised, gave way to his feehngs, and in the 
excitement of the debate charged a brother with a 
lack of fairness, but, convinced of his mistake 
shortly afterward, he made a public apology. 
There was never a manlier exhibition of the 
Christly spirit on the floor of Synod. The incident 
made a profound impression and revealed the ster- 
ling honesty and nobility of his character. 

The minutes of the General Synod, as well as 
those of the District Synod, record a number of 
appeal cases in which he was successful as counsel. 
It is within the bounds of truth to say that as an 
advocate, interpreter, and authority on the consti- 
tution, he had few equals. 

The most conspicuous service which Dr. Gerhard 
rendered to the Church at large, was in advancing 
the general Sunday-school interests of our Church. 
In the fall of 1886 the Ohio Synod overtured the 



144 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

General Synod to establish a Snnday-school Board 
for the purpose of general supervision and manage- 
ment of Sunday-school work. Dr. Gerhard's atten- 
tion was called to this overture in one of the weekly 
gatherings of Reformed ministers of Reading. 
When the overture came before the General Synod 
in 1887, Akron, Ohio, he plead for the establishment 
of a Sunday-school Board of the General Synod, and 
it was owing to his wisdom and tact that the Board 
was constituted. By direct action of the Synod he 
became a member of the Board. He was elected 
its first president, served as president until 1893, 
and remained an active member of the Board until 
his death. It was through him that the several 
private publishers of Sunday-school literature for 
the Reformed Church were brought together. With 
rare skill he removed difficulties, suggested plans 
and names of editors, by which the ''Lesson 
Helps'' East and West were edited for the whole 
Church. In his report as president of the Board in 
1890, he advocated the publication of Sunday-school 
literature through the General Synod, thus foreshad- 
owing and preparing for its achievement later on. 
At the General Synod in 1893 it was largely 
through Dr. Gerhard that the office of general 
secretary was established. In 1896 the way was 
opened for the unification and consolidation of 
Sunday-school publications. For its wise accom- 
plishment, much credit is due to the patience, 
perseverance, sagacity, and good judgment of Dr. 
Gerhard. No one man on the Sunday-school Board 



DR. GERHARD AND THE CHURCH AT LARGE 145 

did more to harmonize conflicting views, to remove 
prejudice, to arouse the whole Church to action, 
and to aid the secretary of the Board in adminis- 
tering the Editorial, Business, and Sunday-school 
and Missionary Departments of the Board. 

During a period of five years he never failed to 
attend the monthly meetings of the Executive 
Committee of the Board. In his thinking, planning, 
and voting, he was not influenced by geographical 
or sectional differences. He strove to secure the 
best interests of the whole Church. He was 
always open to conviction, but was firm and un- 
yielding when convinced of the truth of his 
position. 

His sympathetic and affectionate nature showed 
itself in his relations to the brethren in the general 
work. For nine years the writer came into the 
closest of relations with Dr. Gerhard. In his 
home, on the cars, at the Classes, at Synod, in 
meetings of the Board or Committees, in days of 
recreation, and in his own congregation, we were 
together. In stress of debate, in the adoption of 
new plans, in the necessary friction of adjusting 
new business conditions in the Church, in the trial 
of misstatements and misunderstandings, he stood 
firm. And always he proved himself a friend, wise, 
discriminating, helpful, and faithful. He was a 
true friend. Nothing could shake his confidence. 
He believed with the great poet : 

" The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, 
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel." 



146 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

He was the sympathizing friend, kind, and, to 
those who knew him best, tender-hearted as a 
woman. How appreciative of any kindness shown 
him ! Never shall the writer forget the tears that 
filled his eyes when moved to the very soul by an 
act of kindness in a time of sore trial. 

Dr. Gerhard always responded to calls for ser- 
vice, whether in his own congregation, in behalf of 
his friends, or in the Church at large. There is no 
doubt that he believed the great object in life is 
Christian service. An indefatigable worker him- 
self, he believed in setting others to work. In his 
sermon, as the retiring president of the General 
Synod, on the subject ''How Can the Church Best 
Meet the Spiritual Needs of the Age,'' one can read 
his belief and method in this ringing paragraph : 

Would you develop the spiritual life and character 
of your people, give them some Christian work to do. 
Eemember that the Sunday-school is not simply a 
Bible school, but a great social institution which can 
be so conducted that you will have scores of workers in 
your teachers, who will bind hundreds of scholars to 
themselves and to you, and through them, and you, to 
Jesus Christ. Do not frown upon Young People's 
Societies. These organizations, properly encouraged 
by the pastor, will not hinder, but help, your mission- 
ary society and other benevolent operations. Be a 
general rather than a pack-horse. Do your most 
effective work by setting others to work. Do not try 
to do everything yourself, and then complain because 
no one helps you. Give your members the joy and the 
benefit of Christian service." 



DR. GERHARD AND THE CHURCH AT LARGE 147 

Dr. Gerhard's attitude toward difficult problems 
in the Church, under seeming defeat, and under 
crushing sorrows and strong vicissitudes, was never 
recumbent. The cross was borne on shoulders 
that were erect, though the feet were bleeding. 
He held fast to the truth with large vision. He 
reverenced truth beyond all, and the truth had made 
him free. With patient self-mastery, through vision 
of the Invisible, amid all weariness of the flesh, and 
in the experience of the sorrows which come to all, 
he lived and preached that life is a service. He 
inspired others to be strong, to believe 

" We are not here to play, to dream, to drift! 
We have hard work to do and loads to lift; 
Shun not the struggle — face it, 'tis God's gift. 

" Say not the days are evil — who's to blame ? 
And fold the hands and acquiesce — ! shame ; 
Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God's name! 

" It matters not how deep intrenched the wrong, — 
How hard the battle goes, — the day how long, — 
Faint not I fight on ! to-morrow comes the song ! ' ' 

The impress of Dr. Calvin S. Gerhard's life and 
personality and abounding labors, will make itself 
felt upon the denomination of his choice, for 
generations to come. 



CHAPTER VI. 
Dr. Gerhard as a Theologian. 

By the Rev. George W. Richards, D.D. 

Professor of Church History In the Theological Seminary of the Reformed 
Church in the United States, Lancaster, Penn'a 



CHAPTER VI. 

Dr. Gerhard as a Theologian. 




N the first years of my ministry it was 
my privilege to make the acquaintance 
of Dr. Gerhard. Our acquaintance 
ripened into friendship which con- 
tinued to the day of his death. In 
our fellowship with each other I 
learned to esteem him both for his 
excellent character and for his thor- 
ough scholarship. The influences 
which went forth from him into the heart of a 
friend were stimulating and ennobling. The cur- 
rents of his soul coursed upward. He loved right- 
eousness and hated iniquity. He was every inch a 
man. I have met two classes of men in my life. 
The one class consists of those who chill aspirations, 
discourage ambitions and blur ideals. They are 
cold, critical and cynical. The other class consists 
of those who warm the heart, stir up the gift that 
is in you and lift you to a higher plane of life. I 
found Dr. Gerhard a man of the second class. 
When he had preached his sermon at the opening 
of the General Synod at Baltimore, one of the older 
pastors, who did not agree with some of the prin- 
ciples he proclaimed, said to me : ' 'After all, I felt, 
while he was speaking last night, that he stood on 
a plane above that on which most of us move.'' 
There was a quiet dignity in his manner, a tone of 



152 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

authority in his speech and an earnestness in his 
deHvery, which indicated both the sincerity of the 
Christian and the confidence of the scholar. It was 
doubtless this combination of qualities— practical 
judgment, sanctified common sense, and thorough 
scholarship— which made him equally at home in 
the pulpit, on the floor of Synod, in a meeting of a 
Board, or in a theological discussion. I have been 
requested to write of him more particularly as a 
theologian. 

He was fitted by birth and training for theology. 
His father was a prominent minister of the Reformed 
Church. The son, born in a parsonage, grew up in 
an atmosphere of culture and piety. He was early 
selected by his parents for the Christian ministry. 
In riper years he freely accepted his parents' choice. 
He prepared for his life's work in Franklin and 
Marshall College at Lancaster, Pa., and, after 
graduation, entered the Theological Seminary of the 
Reformed Church, then located at Mercersburg, Pa. 
In both of these institutions he took high rank as a 
student and gave promise of a successful career. 
He frequently spoke of the inspiration he received 
from his theological professors, Drs. Higbee and 
Harbaugh. They were men who left their impress 
on their students for life. The theology then taught 
was that of the Mercersburg School, in which em- 
phasis was laid upon educational religion, the Church 
with her sacraments and ordinances, and the theory 
of historical development. The system was in a 
measure a protest against the revivalistic, un- 



DR. GERHARD AS A THEOLOGIAN 153 

churchly and unhistoric practices and doctrines of 
Methodism and Puritanism. There was enough of 
the polemical in his theological training to arouse 
his interest and enough of the progressive to urge 
him on to independent research and thought. With 
the enthusiasm of youth and v/ith a clear compre- 
hension of the philosophical and theological positions 
expounded in his College and Seminary, he began 
his work in the ministry. 

We are naturally guided in our study of his theo- 
logical attainments by the publications which have 
come from his pen. In the Reformed. Quarterly 
Review, now the Reformed Church Review, we find 
eight articles with his signature. They appeared 
with the subjects and in the years as follows : 
''True Conversion and Religious Experience," 
1874 ; ''Apostolic Succession," 1875 ; " Life Beyond 
the Grave," 1878; "Christian Education and the 
Public Schools," 1882; "The New Birth," 1891; 
" Dr. Titzel on Death and the Resurrection, " 1896 ; 
"The Ever-Living Christ," 1897; "The Bible and 
the Word of God, ' ' 1898. He contributed frequently 
to the Reformed Church Messenger on the questions 
of the day. Several of his articles appeared in the 
Homiletic Monthly. A number of his writings were 
published in pamphlets and widely circulated. 
Prominent among these was the sermon he preached 
at the opening session of the General Synod in Bal- 
timore, May 20, 1902. The subject was, ' ' How Can 
the Church Best Meet the Spiritual Needs of the 
Age ?" The work on which he spent most labor, 



154 THE LIFE OF DK. GERHARD 

and which will remain as a valuable contribution to 
the subject treated, was his book on '' Death and 
the Resurrection/' While these writings are the 
only tangible results of his thinking, those who 
knew him realize that the author was far greater 
than any one or all of his productions. His influence 
was felt by men who came in contact with him in 
private conversation and in public assemblies. His 
speeches in a discussion of a subject were clear and 
to the point. He commanded the attention of his 
audience and left the impression of careful and 
exact scholarship. 

Before we shall consider the conclusions which 
he reached on theological questions, it is important 
that we should define his standpoint. A man's 
point of view and method of study largely deter- 
mine his conclusions. Sabbatier rightly says, in 
his introduction to " Religions of Authority and the 
Religion of the Spirit :" 

' * To the thinking man a discord between methods is 
a graver matter than an opposition between doctrines. 
The antagonism which has arisen between traditional 
theology and the kindred group of all other modern 
disciplines is of this kind." 

Dr. Gerhard was not a traditionalist. He must 
be classed with the liberal theologians. He was 
unwilling to accept the formulas of the past simply 
because they were hoary with age. He was na 
more willing to run after the vagaries of the pres- 
ent because they were flushed with youth. He con- 



DE. GERHARD AS A THEOLOGIAN 155 

sidered the test of truth to be its self -authenti- 
cating power in the mind and heart of the student. 
There is no external authority, whether man, book 
or creed, that can compel submission against the 
clear dictates of reason and conscience. In this 
regard he was a child of his age ; he adopted the 
experimental method of investigation. He strove 
to come into touch with reality and to draw his 
inferences from undoubted facts. In his charge at 
my inauguration as professor of Church History he 
presented in a brief form the principles which 
guided him in his studies. He said : 

" Be true to the facts. Be not afraid to go to the 
sources, and to examine for yourself what you there 
may find. Do not be content to read history according 
to a theory, however good and venerable it may be." 

He was an ardent advocate of freedom of re- 
search and thought. While he would not limit 
others to his own views, he was unwilling to be 
bound by the arbitrary judgments of others. He 
was one of the men of whom Lowell wrote : 

* * I honor the man who is willing to sink 
Half his present repute for the freedom to think. 
And when he has thought, be his cause strong or 

weak, 
Will risk t'other half for the freedom to speak.'' 

Yet he would not permit his freedom to run into 
license. The truth sets limits to freedom. The 
freedom of truth is the bondservice of Christ. 
Again he writes : 



156 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

" Be fearless in defending the truth as it is in Jesus. 
Let it authenticate itself to your inmost soul. Live in 
constant fellowship with it and His revelation. See that 
you have the con rage of your convictions. You need 
not, and should not, be rash, but you cannot perform 
your duty unless you are above all fear." 

He realized the necessity of reconstruction in 
theolog-y. The theory of historical development, 
implying that truth is gradually comprehended, 
became part of his mental habit from college days. 
He was not taught to think of Christianity as hav- 
ing reached its final forms of expression in the 
cultus, polity and dogmas of the first four centuries. 
It was a life, which, as it took possession of men 
in its height and depth, length and breadth, re- 
quired new forms of expression from age to age. 
The new wine had to be put into new wine-skins. 
In regard to tradition he says : 

" Tradition always has two elements, one of strength 
and one of weakness. It endeavors to conserve the past, 
which is right, but in trying to do so in the face of 
progress and advancing knowledge, it becomes narrow 
and one sided, and therefore false. It claims virtual 
infallibility because it has the prestige of age. It as- 
sumes that because its positions used to be universally 
admitted, therefore they must have been true, and what 
was once true must always be true, forgetting that the 
clothes which were plenty large enough for the boy of 
twelve, are entirely too small for the boy of fifteen." 

He was convinced that the traditional doctrines 
were losing their hold on men, not because they 
were essentially wrong, but because they were cast 



DR. GERHARD AS A THEOLOGIAN 157 

in the thought-forms of an age which we had out- 
lived. The way to conserve truth is, therefore, to 
readjust it to the larger life and the broader vision 
of the present. In the preface of '' Death and the 
Resurrection' ' he writes : 

" Obviously the process of disintegration can be 
arrested only by separating the truth from the form 
which it has outgrown. The following pages have been 
written wdth the hope of furnishing assistance, along 
certain lines of thought, to those who heartily accept 
the facts of revelation, and yet, at the same time, gladly 
welcome every scientific discovery and advancement, 
believing that the more the book of nature is studied, 
and the better it is understood, the more will our in- 
creased knowledge enrich for us the contents of the 
Book of Revelation." 

The principles, then, which gave direction and 
form to his investigations and thinking were, first, 
the self-authenticating power of the truth ; second, 
freedom of research and loyalty to facts. Conclu- 
sions were to rest on facts. Theories were not to be 
spun out of thin air. Third, the necessity of theologi- 
cal reconstruction on account of the ever-enlarging 
vision of the truth given to men in the Church. 
Men, who do not accept these principles, can read 
his writings only by protesting at every step. 
Those who occupy his view-point may indeed reach 
different conclusions and yet in spirit be in agree- 
ment with him. 

In defining the more important theological views 
which he so vigorously expounded, we shall refer 
to his conception of the Bible, of the relation of 



158 THE LIFE OF DE. GERHARD 

theology to science, and of Christ. His system of 
theology, which he never wrote out but thought 
out, can be traced from these central positions by 
the reader himself. 

In a conversation, we remember, he once said, 
''One of the most far-reaching changes for the- 
ology is the conception and use of the Bible as liter- 
ature, rather than as an infallible oracle.'' This 
view of the Bible laid hold of him with special 
force, for he constantly alluded to it in his writings. 

The dictation theory of the Scriptures' origin 
resulted in erroneous views of their purpose. The 
human element was overshadowed by the divine to 
such an extent that the personality of the author, 
the time and circumstances of composition, and the 
relative value of the different books were lost sight 
of. The restoration of the Bible to its true place 
in theology and in life must be brought about by 
an historical study and interpretation of its con- 
tents. In his sermon at Baltimore, he speaks of 
it as 

"literature, more wonderful, profound, versatile than 
any other. To learn to understand it we must let it 
speak for itself in its own way. Like all literature, it 
is not exact, stiff and dogmatic, but free and flexible. 
It is calculated to quicken, stimulate and inspire rather 
than to furnish formulas and definitions. Revelation 
does not come to men ready-made, but it is the result 
of the interaction of the divine and human. Therefore 
it has a progressive history, rising from low and obscure 
to higher and clearer forms. An inspired man's utter- 
ances are his own, circumscribed by his intellectual and 



DR. GERHARD AS A THEOLOGIAN 159 

spiritual environment, even though they are the expres- 
sion of God- wrought experiences, thoughts and emotions. 
Impressing himself upon the life and consciousness of 
the Hebrew people, God required them to work out, 
like other nations, their own intellectual conceptions of 
Him, their own cosmogony, their own theology, their 
own rites and sacrificial customs, their own Church 
polity and whatever else was connected with their relig- 
ious life. An account of these things we have in the 
Old Testament, in the form of legend, tradition, law and 
ordinances, history, poetry, philosophy and prophecy." 

The purpose of the Bible is not to reveal in final 
form v^hat man is to discover. It is not a book of 
science in which the work of the astronomer, the 
geologist, and the anthropologist is anticipated. It 
brings to light the hidden things of God which man 
by searching cannot find out. 

Accepting the statement that the Bible is litera- 
ture, he concluded that it must be studied accord- 
ing to the method applied to the study of literature 
in general. He believed that higher criticism was 
not simply to be tolerated as a doubtful blessing, 
but that it was to be used as a positive aid for the 
understanding of the books of the Bible. The only 
reliable miethod of determining the place where, 
the time when, the author by whom, the purpose 
for which, the different books were written is that 
of literary and historical criticism. Yet he recog- 
nized the limits of critical investigation. The critic 
has to do only with the external structure of the 
Scriptures. The spiritual principles, the Word of 
God, in the Scriptures must always he comprehended 



160 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

by the aid of the Spirit of God within us. In an 
article on ''The Ever-living Christ," Reformed 
Church Review, 1897, he writes : 

" Scholars have gained their freedom to study the 
Bible as literature. They are at liberty to subject the 
sacred writings to the most searching historical and 
literary criticism. The problem now is in reference to 
the wise use of the liberty which has been gained. 
For the Bible has a double character. It can be 
studied by the historian and critic, and so far as it 
consists of outward fact, it falls within their doraain, 
but as a body of ethical and spiritual truth it belongs 
to humanity and speaks to the heart. This side of the 
Bible is the greater and therefore deserves and requires 
full recognition. It can be proptrly appreciated only 
as we learn to look at the truth as it stands revealed in 
the consciousness of Jesus Christ. ' ' 

Much of the present-day criticism is destructive. 
It is a weapon that may be used by the enemies of 
the cross of Christ as well as by its friends. This 
may be said of the great movements in the Church 
since the days of Paul. The Reformation was ac- 
companied by a dangerous radicalism. The Pietism 
and Methodism of the 17th and 18th centuries 
were none the less valuable because of the fanatical 
extremists connected with them. He was fully 
convinced, however, that ''the outcome of the 
whole discussion has been a fuller appreciation of 
the merits of the book, a richer knowledge of its 
diversified contents and a higher exaltation of the 
person and work of our dear Redeemer. '* 

Another problem which was discussed in new 
light and with great energy in Dr. Gerhard's gen- 



DR. GERHARD AS A THEOLOGIAN 161 

eration was the relation of theology to science. 
The necessity of a solution of the many difficulties, 
which were raised by the scientist for the theo- 
logian, pressed upon the Church with cumulative 
force from Copernicus to Darwin. The men of the 
philosophic mind in all denominations turned their 
attention toward the reconciliation of the revelation 
of the Bible and the discoveries of science. It is 
generally admitted now that the revelation of God 
through holy men of old and through modern 
scientists could not contradict itself. The truths of 
the Bible and those of nature are complementary 
rather than contradictory. The result of his think- 
ing in this direction Dr. Gerhard presents in most 
acceptable form in his book on ''Death and the 
Resurrection.'' He discussed these subjects, so 
central in Christian doctrine and life, in their rela- 
tion to the evolutionary theory of creation and its 
corollaries. He puts the question thus : 

"What, then, are we to understand by the death 
which the Lord Jesus Christ overcame, what by His 
resurrection , and what by His spiritual body ? None 
of these questions can be properly answered until after 
we have formed a correct conception of man's origin. 
It is therefore with a consideration of his creation that 
the discussion of our subject must begin." 

He then proceeds to show how the problem of 
creation can only be understood when proper 
account is made of the evolutionary hypothesis. 
He has no sympathy with atheistic, agnostic or 
materialistic evolution. He postulates "an infinite, 



162 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

eternal, personal God'^ as the beginning of all 
things. Science cannot discover God ; we can 
know Him only through revelation. His method 
of creation was by evolution. ''Creation and 
Providence reveal His presence in upholding the 
world and in constantly unfolding His thoughts by 
evolving higher forms of existence and of life 
through the operation of natural laws, which are 
the continuous expression of His will. Strictly 
speaking, we cannot say that God works in nature, 
or through nature. He works nature.^' This con- 
ception of nature and God's relation to it involved 
many changes in theological thought. For the 
theology of the past had for its presuppositions the 
geocentric view of the universe and the mechanical 
view of creation. The heliocentric theory of 
Copernicus and the evolutionary theory of Darwin 
constrained men to cast the revelation of Jesus 
into forms corresponding to the new view of the 
world. The prophets of old likewise used the naive 
views of the world of their time as a framework in 
setting forth the eternal truths of God. 

Dr. Gerhard's position in reference to the relation 
of science and theology, which was at one time con- 
demned without mercy, is now accepted by the lead- 
ing theologians in all Churches. There are still a 
few exceptions, who persist in closing their eyes 
against the irrepressible floods of light. All the 
problems, however, which are involved in the recon- 
struction, are not finally solved. Several years 
before his death the Doctor regretted the fact that 



DR. GERHARD AS A THEOLOGIAN 163 

he could not rewrite his book. He had grown beyond 
it and was in a position to pass criticisms upon it. 
While definite formulas have not yet been worked 
out in answer to many questions, the method and 
spirit which he represented have come to stay. 

The cardinal question by which a man's theologi- 
cal position is tested is, ' ' What think ye of Christ?' ' 
It is not necessary to bear testimony to those who 
knew him to his consecration to, and his growing 
faith in Christ. He comprehended Him not with 
the intellect only, but with the heart. He loved 
Him. It was the purpose of his life to do His will. 
He comforted himself and his house in affliction 
with the simple revelation of Jesus. He sustained 
himself in his last days by leaning on Him. He 
found the motive for his active and successful min- 
istry in his firm trust in Jesus as his personal 
Savior and the Savior of sinners. A more childlike 
faith I have found in few men. 

He may not have been satisfied with some of the 
theological definitions of Christ because he felt that 
the vision of the Christ of today could not be fully 
expressed by the formulas of the past. This was 
an evidence not of less, but of more faith. In the 
thinking of the age Christ is more central than 
ever. The principle of theology is not justification 
by faith, or the decrees of God, or the free will of 
man, but Christ. The consciousness of Christ is the 
formal source of all true theological knowledge. 
As Jesus Christ looked at God, the world and 
humanity, so we are to regard them. He revealed 



164 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

God as His Father and our Father. Jesus is the 
representative Man, because He brings into full, 
actual existence the ideal sonship in which every 
child of man is created. He is also the incarnate 
Son of God, whose earthly life has fully demon- 
strated what that divine Sonship can be in which 
all men are constituted. The ultimate principle of 
the universe is God as revealed in Christ. It is love. 
The operations in nature, the movements in history, 
the events in the life of an individual, are controlled 
by the heavenly Father. Thus he conceived Christ 
to have been the acknowledged representative of 
humanity, the accepted revelation of the essential 
kinship of the divine and human, and the guide to 
the ultimate meaning of nature. 

He remained true to the great facts of the Chris- 
tian revelation. He held them not simply as tradi- 
tions from the past, but as the objective present 
realities in the power of which man lives the Chris- 
tian life. He was in close touch with the age in 
which he lived. He felt keenly the misery and 
wretchedness of human existence, but he discerned 
also its dignity and glory. He valued service above 
thought, yet he could not separate theology from 
life. He shared the intellectual and spiritual 
struggles of the minds of the last century. He 
knew what it was ''to wander between two worlds, 
one dead, the other powerless to be born. '' He did 
not find refuge in thoughtless piety, nor could he 
rest in hopeless doubt. 



DR. GERHARD AS A THEOLOGIAN 165 

** Perplext in faith, but pure in deeds, 

At last he beat his music out. 

There lives more faith in honest doubt, 
Beheve me, than in half the creeds. 

** He fought his doubts and gathered strength, 
He would not make his judgment blind. 
He faced the spectres of the mind 

And laid them : thus he came at length 

** To find a stronger faith his own." 



CHAPTER VII. 
Dr. Gerhard as an Author. 

By the Rev. Thomas W. Dickert, A.M. 

Pastor St. Stephen's Reformed Church, 
Reading, Penn'a 



CHAPTER VII, 



Dr. Gerhard as an Author. 




MAN'S character may be read in his 
speech and actions, but his profound- 
est self is revealed in his deliberate 
thought expressed in permanent form 
in written language. When thought 
and speech and written expression 
and habitual action harmonize, they 
are a true index to the heart that 
beats within and the soul which man- 
ifests itself in these varied ways. 

Dr. Gerhard was no hypocrite. Those who 
knew him best testify that his thought and speech 
and actions were in harmonious accord. In seek- 
ing to examine and portray what he wrote, we 
enter into the innermost sanctuary of his wonder- 
ful mind and beautiful soul. He was a profound 
thinker, a clear and ready writer, and a forcible 
speaker. He early manifested a tendency and 
fitness for lucid and logical expression of his serious 
thought, and wielded a facile pen. His articles 
were eagerly sought by the Church papers, and 
widely read and commented upon. 

It will not be possible within the compass of a 
single chapter to refer to all his productions, but 
we shall note those which are of the greatest in- 
terest and best show the versatility of his mind. 
Unlike many other writers, he did not preserve 



170 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

many of his productions, nor does anyone else seem 
to know the number and nature of his writings. 
We were, therefore, compelled to discover these 
articles for ourselves. Not knowing to what news- 
papers and magazines he may have contributed 
during his ministerial career, we confined our re- 
search to the Church papers, with a few exceptions, 
which came to our notice while we were preparing 
the material for this chapter. 

The very first article of which we have any 
knowledge was contributed to the Lancaster Daily 
Express, and appeared in the issue of May 4, 1866, 
the year after his graduation from Franklin and 
Marshall College. It is entitled **A Ramble in 
Early Spring,'' and signed ' * Didaskalos. ' ' No 
doubt many similar articles were contributed to 
the local papers at the time, but have been lost 
sight of, and we are very glad to be able to present 
this contribution to our readers, both because it is 
his only maiden effort extant, and because it is of 
so different a character from most of his subse- 
quent productions. 

Gentle Spring has come again . Lightly she trips 
through the grassy lawn, over the little hillocks, down 
the sloping vales and beside the murmuring brook, that 
was but lately fettered by the cold, icy chain of winter. 
The fairy songsters of the air, forsaking the southern 
climes, follow in her footsteps and pour forth their 
sweetest lays. The tender blades of grass, forgetting 
their hiding places beneath the soil, spring forth allured 
by the cheering rays of the king of day. The trees, for 
long and weary months sterile and leafless, awake from 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 171 

their lethargy and are budding forth into newness of 
life. All nature, with one harmonious voice, sends 
forth her notes of thanksgiving and praise. Who can 
resist the temptation to sally forth and become enrap- 
tured with the bewitching scene ? Yielding to the im- 
pulse, one beautiful afternoon, after having let loose 
from school a troop of restless, impatient children, I 
strolled forth to drink in the delicious influence of the 
season. How my heart leaped for joy as I wandered 
along the little stream I have learned to love, and listened 
to the ever changing voice of its waters ! How content- 
edly it babbled onward — extending its happy cheerful- 
ness to the humble violets that bestudded its verdant 
banks ! Bidding an miwilhng adieu to my fair Minne- 
haha, I pursued my course to the mountain, which lay 
but a comparatively short distance from me. Bravely 
and perseveringly I clambered up its steep side. The 
warm rays of the sun pouring down upon me, caused 
the perspiration to flow in torrents. Yet on I pressed, 
saddened by the melancholy voice of the winds that 
moaned through the pines and rustled among the not 
yet awakened trees of the forest. How rejoiced I felt 
when I came to my journey's end and stood on Eagle 
Rock! 

There, alone, in its solemn grandeur, that wonder of 
nature rears its lofty front. Its rough, weather-beaten 
face, constantly directed towards the north, looks on 
the wild scene around with mingled scorn and pity. 
On either side of the rock, the mountain slopes grad- 
ually down to the ravine below, shrinking, as it were, 
from its bold, conspicuous companion. Huge masses 
of stone that had whilom formed a part of it, lie scat- 
tered in the valley beneath, being cast aside as useless 
appendages. A solitary, but lofty pine, that long years 
ago sprouted in the soil, which far beneath supports the 
rock, rears its ever verdant boughs boldly above the 
giant's brow. In every direction, as far as the eye can 
feach, save towards the setting of the sun, there stretches 



172 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

one continuous chain of mountains. After calmly- 
viewing those broken ridges, what a relief it is to the 
eye to gaze upon the beautiful valley that extends far 
away into the west. Fields of promising grain, and 
luxuriant grass, interspersed with rich orchards and 
strips of woodland, plainly tell that the hand of indus- 
try and civilization has labored there, and is already in 
the early spring reaping its reward. 

"As I sat there gazing on the seat of so many happy 
homes, sunset, with its lingering tints, gradually cast 
its mellowing influence over the earth. Clouds of 
golden radiance begirt the horizon, deceiving the eye 
and causing the heart to believe that heaven and earth 
met in the western skies. Calmer and calmer became 
the atmosphere, until a solemn stillness, broken not 
even by a single breath of air, pervaded all nature. 
Gradually the world faded from my bodily as well as 
mental vision, and my soul, turning inward, held com- 
munion with itself. The present and future were for- 
gotten; the veil which hides the past was withdrawn, 
and there it stood vividly before me, displaying all its 
scenes, even as they occurred, save that ' distance lent 
enchantment to the view.' Once more a happy child, 
in my father's house, I clambered on my mother's 
knee; gamboled with troops of merry children who 
knew not a single care or sorrow; sat on the hard 
benches in the little country school-house, where I tried 
to see into how many pieces I could tear my primer, 
instead of learning the alphabet from it; floated little 
boats on the brook that runs pleasantly past that 
stately (?) edifice; played 'loch bolla' under the tall 
oaks that lavishly bestowed their refreshing shade on us 
in the warm summer days; jumped rope with little 
fairies of rosy cheeks, laughing eyes and glossy ringlets; 
bid a tearful adieu to my native hills, and in the noisy 
city found a home; bowed at ambition's enticing 
shrine, who, racking my brain and firing my heart, 
with a steady hand pointed to the pinnacle I must 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 173 

reach; cast the cruel tyrant from me, being convinced 
that all earthly hopes and aspirations are vanity, and 
must soon fade and perish; felt the charm of college 
life, and participated in its sports and scrapes; experi- 
enced all the pleasures that an unrestrained imagina- 
tion, floating with her powerful wings far back into the 
dim vista of the past, can produce. 

"In the midst of these delightful reveries, a sound, 
like the ominous warning of the rattlesnake, suddenly 
smote upon my ear and broke the spell that bound me. 
Slowly I turned my head around, when two glaring eyes 
met mine, which told me, only too plainly, that my 
fancy had not deceived me, but that the horrible reptile, 
one of extraordinary size, was within a few feet of me, 
ready to make its deadly spring. All the charms of 
imagination quickly fled away, and the horrible realities 
of death, inflicted by the venomous fang of a rattlesnake, 
loomed up before me. As I sat there, scarcely daring 
to move, every fibre in my body trembled, and I felt the 
blood curdling in my veins. The cruel monster appeared 
to be perfectly aware of my situation ; for alternately 
advancing and retreating, now raising his head, then 
lowering it again, his piercing eyes resting full upon me, 
he cut off all means of escape. Entirely unarmed, I sat 
on the very edge of the precipice, and could advance in 
no other direction but towards him. I knew that, were 
I to leap from the rock, I would be dashed to pieces, or 
so badly injured that he could easily follow me; that, 
were I to advance towards him, I would but hasten my 
destruction. While these horrible visions were flitting 
across my brain and I was on the point of giving myself 
up to despair, the sharp report of a rifle pierced my ear. 
I started and almost fell from my precarious seat as I 
looked madly around for my deliverer. But to my 
astonishment I could neither see him nor the snake. I 
cast my eyes toward the west and saw that the twilight 
had long since deepened into the gloom of night, and 
that the quiet stars had come out and were shining upon 



174 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

the earth with their own peculiar loveliness. A sharp 
breeze was moaning through the pines, and I felt cold 
and chilly; wondering at the sudden change, I arose 
from my seat, left the edge of the rock for a less danger- 
ous place, rubbed my eyes, and only then discovered 
that I had been dreaming." 

This charming production from the pen of the 
twenty-year-old school teacher is the only one we 
have of an autobiographical character, and it gives 
promise of the wonderful descriptive powers which, 
in after years, stood Dr. Gerhard in such good 
stead when, returning from his trip to the Holy 
Land, with tongue and pen he vividly portrayed 
the scenes he had witnessed, and rendered them 
more real to his auditors and readers. 

In 1870, the year of his graduation from the 
Theological Seminary at Mercersburg, we find in 
the Reformed Church Messenger a. remarkable 
article for one so young (only twenty-four), show- 
ing the mature thought of which he was capable so 
early in life. It is interesting to note that this 
article is on a subject which seems to have made a 
profound impression upon his mind, and which was 
of engrossing interest to him during his whole 
ministerial life, culminating in his master produc- 
tion, ''Death and the Resurrection,'' which is the 
crown and glory of his theological thought. Because 
of its characteristic importance, and in order to 
compare it with his later and more perfect produc- 
tion, we give the article in toto, as we found it in 
the Messenger of July 6, 1870, under the title '* The 
Resurrection of the Saints.'' 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 175 

*'At the second coming of Christ, the saints will rise 
from the dead in spiritual bodies. Their resurrection 
is possible because of their organic union with Jesus 
Christ, who is in Himself the resurrection and the life. 
In his own Person, by the quickening energy of His 
life. He overcame death. By taking it upon Himself 
He exhausted its power in Himself, and advanced to 
the resurrection stage of existence. When He did this, 
human nature in its generic character rose from the 
dead in His Person. By that act, in connection with 
what historically precedes it in the life of the Incarnate 
Logos, humanity was freed from the condemnation and 
all the effects of sin, and brought into complete union 
and harmony with God. A well-spring of life is thus 
opened. The eternal Word, in living union with man, 
has achieved the victory in and for man. 

" This victory is of perennial force and power, and 
because of their mystical union with Christ, all believers 
have a living interest in it. The same life, which was 
victoriously active in the God-man, is also active in them, 
and is reaching out toward the same conclusion. This 
conclusion is not the separate immortality of the soul. 
The simple deathlessness of the soul, or its continued 
conscious existence after its severance from the body, 
could not be regarded as a positive victory over death. 
For the soul that continues its existence, separate from 
the body with which it was once organically united, is 
as really under the power of death as the corpse itself 
that has decayed and returned to dust; although the 
death of the soul is altogether different from that of the 
body — the difference being just as real and wide as that 
which exists between the body and the soul themselves. 

" Neither is this conclusion the return of the dead to 
natural life. Such a return would be only one step 
backward in that life which is under the power of death, 
and which always succumbs to it. It would not be the 
rising out of its sphere, but only a moving backward 
from a more advanced to a less advanced stage of death. 



176 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

For the whole cosmical order itself, with which our nat- 
ural life is organically united, having in it the principle 
of death, is moving forward irresistibly toward its own 
complete overthrow and dissolution. 

" Before we can proceed, now, to form a conception 
positively of what is involved in the resurrection of the 
saints, it is necessary that we fix definitely in our minds 
the truth, that the resurrection is not predicated of the 
bodies of the dead, nor of their souls separately taken, 
but of the dead themselves. It is persons that die, and 
it is persons that rise from the dead. Hence in referring 
to the Scriptures, we find that they do not teach the 
resurrection of the body simply, but the resurrection of 
the dead, or the resurrection from the dead. They look 
upon death and the resurrection as affecting the whole 
man. That is, they regard the whole man in body, 
soul and spirit, as being under the power of sin and 
death, and as rising above them in the resurrection, in 
the entirety of his being. 

This brings us to the nature of the resurrection itself, 
which, relating to the entire man in body, soul and 
spirit, has two sides, the one negative and the other pos- 
itive. The negative side has reference to the victory 
that is gained in the resurrection, by the power of 
Christ's life in the saints, over sin, death, and him that 
has the power of death, the devil. The positive side 
relates to the blossom and fruit of Christ's life in the 
saints, their actual immortality and complete glorifica- 
tion in body, soul and spirit. 

" The whole cosmical order, with which man by his 
Adamic life stands in internal and organic union, has 
been, by the virus of sin, so touched and perverted in 
all its ramifications, as well as in the inmost life of its 
being, that the destruction of sin involves the destruc- 
tion of the present form of the cosmical order itself. 
This order, perverted, taken in its most comprehensive 
sense, is the realm of death and the abode of the devil, 
the kingdom of which he is lord. The destruction, 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 177 

therefore, of the present perverted cosmical order, and 
the re-creation of it under a higher form, carries along 
with it the destruction of death also, and the final and 
complete victory over the devil. 

" By coming into organic union with this order, and 
taking up its principle into Himself, and re-creating it, 
and glorifying it in Himself, the Son of God princi- 
pally purged and glorified the cosmical order. Hence 
also, as God and man in one, He was able to bring and 
did, through the mediating agency of the Holy Ghost, 
bring into existence a new order, in which the super- 
natural and the natural, through the medium of 
humanity regenerated in the God-man, stand in com- 
plete union and harmony with each other, and from 
which sin, death and the devil are forever excluded. 

" By a new birth, the birth of the Spirit in contra- 
distinction from the birth of the flesh, the believer is 
regenerated in body, soul and spirit, and is brought into 
living union and communion with the person of the 
God-man, and thus in communion with the world to 
come, of which Christ is the author. From that for- 
ward until the morning of the resurrection, the same 
person is organically united with two orders, the old 
and the new. A positive life process is thus commenced 
in the behever, which works negatively against sin, 
death and the devil, and advances positively towards 
the stage of actual immortality and complete glorifica- 
tion, which stage is reached in the resurrection. 

The dissolution of the soul and the body does not 
involve the death of the new regenerate life. That lives 
through the article of death, in which man passes from 
the earth sphere to the Hades sphere of the existing cos- 
mical order. This holds true in the case of the believer 
in the entirety of his being, not only in regard to his 
spirit and soul, but also in regard to his body. For 
with the corpse decays only the material of the body, 
not its principle and law. Death does not annihilate 
man's physical nature, but so disorganizes it that, dur- 



178 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

ing the period between death and the resurrection, the 
body exists only as to law and principle, that is, in 
potentiality. Not only during his abode on earth , there- 
fore, but also in Hades, man's life is trichotomic. 

"In the case of the righteous, their life, although 
truly regenerate, and in that sense altogether different 
from the life of the wicked, is yet in Hades necessarily 
incomplete. The believer does not at death pass out 
of the seon of the existing cosmical order, but only from 
the earth sphere to the Hades sphere of the same order. 
The body of death, it is true, is abolished, and the 
Christian passes into a sphere of existence, in which he 
is in a state of peace and joy; into a sphere in which 
sin no longer has any dominion over him, and in 
which he advances positively in holiness. All the con- 
ditions, and all the relations, and all the circumstances 
of his life are very different from what they w^ere on 
earth. What precisely they are we cannot tell; but 
this we know, that the believer must still be organically 
linked with that form of the cosmical order which 
exists in Hades, just as really as he is in organic union 
with the powers of the world to come. 

" Such a life of free, conscious activity in Hades, is 
no doubt far happier and much more blessed than the 
life of the Christian on earth; for, although the grave 
still exists, it has lost its victory; although death is not 
yet overcome, its sting is gone, and the saints, asleep 
in Jesus, are joyfully looking forward to, and anxiously 
waiting for, the morning of the resurrection. ' Blessed 
are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth : 
yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their 
labors; and their works do follow them.' 

" But oh, when the resurrection trump shall sound, 
and the Captain of our salvation shall wave His banner 
of victory over the tottering universe, and the quicken- 
ing energy of His theanthropic life will disclose itself in 
all its wondrous strength and power, piercing the 
heavens themselves and causing them to be rolled together 



DR. GERHAED AS AN AUTHOR 179 

as a scroll, and the elements to melt with fervent heat, 
and will rouse Hades also from its slumber, moving it to 
give up its dead, and will drive the wicked, and Satan, 
and his allies, with maddening fury, into the kindling 
flames of everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his 
angels; and the saints, with radiant face and throbbing 
heart, shall rise in calm security above the universal 
wreck of the cosmical order under its present form, and 
a new order that combines in itself in living harmony 
the super -cosmical and the cosmical regenerated, coming 
forth in all its splendor and glory as the new heavens 
and the new earth, shall not only furnish the material 
for the bodies of the saints, fashioned like unto the 
glorious body of our Lord, but will also constitute the 
condition for the proper activity of their resurrection 
life — then, when that new life, long almost impercep- 
tibly, yet powerfully active, but now fully actualized, 
will begin to well up from the depths of their awakened 
being, thrilling their hearts with ecstatic joy, and glow- 
ing with more than seraphic beauty on their spiritual 
bodies — then will the saints know and realize that the 
long pause and parenthesis of existence which was theirs 
in Hades, although incomparably happy and peaceful, 
was only a sweet slumber, and that they have indeed 
awakened from their sleep in Jesus to full morning life 
in glory.'' 

This was followed, almost three years later, 
May 14, 1873, by an article in the Messenger en- 
titled ' ' What Do the Scriptures Teach Concerning 
the Condition of Christ's Body After His Resurrec- 
tion?'' We regret that space will not permit us 
to reprint the whole article, but must be content 
with a few characteristic quotations from it. He 
starts out by saying : 



180 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

** The Saviour's resurrection from the dead formed a 
decided epoch in His sojourn on earth. There is 
accordingly a great change manifest in Him after that 
important event. He is still precisely the same being 
that He was before, but He has advanced to a new 
stage of existence. He Himself continually recognized 
the change which He had undergone, and sought every 
opportunity to convince His disciples of the fact. His 
constant endeavor, after His resurrection, was to im- 
press two things upon the minds of His followers, 
namely, first: that He was really their Master, whom 
they saw crucified; and secondly: that He had not 
simply come back to life again, but that He had risen 
above what He was before His death. Hence He did 
not live and remain with His disciples constantly, as 
He did before His crucifixion, but He appeared and 
disappeared suddenly, and at intervals. Neither did 
His presence simply suffice in each case to convince 
them of His identity. There was something about Him 
which awakened their fears, and in which He differed 
decidedly from what He was before His death. Hence 
He made use of signs to convince them that He really 
was the very same person whom they knew before His 
crucifixion. He pointed to the print of the nails in 
His hands and feet, and to the wound which the sword 
had left in His side. He said to them, * Behold my 
hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and 
see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me 
have.' To convince them still further. He said, ' Have 
ye here any meat ? ' and they gave Him a piece of a 
broiled fish, and of a honeycomb. And He took it, 
and did eat before them. 

' * In this way He convinced them of His identity, but, 
at the same time also, they could not help but feel that 
He was different from what He was before His death. 
In what then did this difference consist ? How are we 
to ascertain the Savior's condition after His resurrec- 
tion ? We cannot appeal to our own experience, or to 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 181 

the experience of any one else. Human history has 
nothing hke it. In His resurrection Jesus Christ passed 
beyond the sphere in which all live. Before His death 
He was, in His human nature, in all points like as we 
are, sin only excepted. His body was just like our 
bodies. He had the same kind of flesh, and bones, and 
blood. He ate and drank because he was hungry and 
thirsty and needed food and drink. He rested because 
He grew tired. He slept because He needed sleep to 
refresh and strengthen Him. He was, in a word, so 
naturally human, and so like His disciples, that without 
much difiiculty we can form a correct conception of His 
condition as to His human nature. In His resurrection, 
however. He passes beyond our common or individual 
experience. He now lives and moves and has His being 
in a higher and altogether different sphere of existence, 
of which we know nothing outside of Him. Hence we 
cannot take our ideas and apply them to His condition, 
but must study it in the light of the facts we have, and 
then draw our conclusions." 

He proceeds to show that, after His resurrection, 
Jesus was glorified, had passed beyond all imper- 
fections, and had advanced to a state of positive 
perfection so as to actualize in His human nature 
the ideal of humanity in its fully developed state. 
Examining a number of Scripture passages which 
bear on the subject, he observes that the resur- 
rection body of Christ was real and tangible ; that 
He could render Himself visible or invisible at will; 
that He was raised above space and its limitations; 
that He was not limited by the natural laws of 
human nature and of the world, but could submit 
Himself to them if He desired to do so, or hold 
them in easy and complete abeyance at will. 



182 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

He concludes the article in these words : 

The change which the Savior underwent in His 
resurrection, did, of course, not simply affect His body, 
viewed in its relation to His former condition ; but had 
to do with His entire human nature. It affected His 
human spirit, and His human soul, as well as His 
body. In the wholeness of His being He rose above 
His former condition, and advanced into the sphere in 
which not nature, but spirit, constitutes the bosom in 
which all activity goes forward. Hence His body was 
no longer a natural body, but a spiritual body, not 
subject to the laws of nature, but filled, guided and 
borne by the spirit, and thus the highest possible 
medium of the spirit's expression and manifestation." 

In the July number of the Mercersburg Review, 
in 1874, we find his first contribution to this schol- 
arly magazine of our Church. Rewrote on *' True 
Conversion and Religious Experience.'^ After de- 
fining the terms " conversion" and ** repentance," 
he says : 

The word conversion primarily denotes an outward 
change, whilst the word repentance denotes an inward 
change, a change of mind. The word mind in this con- 
nection, however, cannot refer to the intellect simply, 
so that a change of mind would be a change of opinion 
only, but the term repentance, denoting a change of 
mind, is made to stand for a change of the whole inner 
man, including the soul and spirit. 

Now in Protestant theology, as this comes to view 
both in the Reformed and Lutheran confessions of the 
Sixteenth Century, the word conversion is generally used 
to express the meaning of the two words repentance and 
conversion taken together." 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 183 

After arguing for the baptismal regeneration 
of infants, he proceeds to show that true conver- 
sion cannot be a sudden change effected once for 
all, but is a process which includes in itself at 
least three distinct stages. 

The first stage of conversion begins when the child 
is introduced into the covenant of grace, and a counter- 
acting influence is set to work, through the gracious 
powers contained in the covenant, in the original bent 
of its nature. ******* The second stage 
is entered upon, when the regenerate life of the be- 
liever so pervades the will that it is subdued, and the 
subject of grace, as a new man, gives himself up freely 
and consciously to God in Christ Jesus through the 
Holy Ghost. ******** The third 
stage is reached when, having fully surrendered our- 
selves to Christ, we enter earnestly upon the work of 
subduing the law of sin in our members, the assaults 
of the world and Satan ; and of consecrating ourselves 
continually to Christ, and working for Him in His 
kingdom. With this stage begins our sanctification, in 
which the new man, having conquered the citadel of 
the soul and obtained a full surrender to himself of the 
old man, enters upon the work of cleansing and purifi- 
cation. The will and the heart are now right, but 
there are evil tendencies, corrupt inclinations and 
vicious habits to be overcome through the positive 
activity of the regenerate life of the believer, now mov- 
ing freely and consciously into fuller union with the 
life of God. As this process goes forward, our sanctifi- 
cation progresses and our conversion becomes continu- 
ally more complete, but is never fully consummated in 
this world." 

Summing up the argument thus far made, he 
says : ' ' Conversion is correctly defined, therefore. 



184 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

as not only a change of the will, but as a change 
also of the affections, as well as a change of life,'' 
and then proceeds to consider and justify the sense 
in which he uses the word conversion in this arti- 
cle. In strong terms he denounces the doctrine of 
instantaneous conversion as then prevalent in some 
denominations, and by means of Scriptural quota- 
tions and historical references defends his position. 
In speaking of the second part of his subject, he 
says : 

"The religious experience which accompanies true 
conversion depends to a very great extent on the tem- 
perament, disposition and surroundings of the person 
who is being converted. There may be a general or 
even a very striking resemblance in the experience of 
the subjects of conversion, but there is always some 
difference. It is never precisely alike in any two per- 
sons. ****** -^^^ ^]^^g infinite variety of 
religious experience, as already intimated, does not 
destroy its inner unity. For, running through all the 
peculiarities of religious experience, there is a deeper 
peculiarity which distinguishes the genuine from the 
counterfeit. This peculiarity it is, however, very often 
extremely difficult to detect, and for this reason ex- 
perience is never by itself a good test of the presence 
and power of true Christianity, either in ourselves or 
in others."* 

Just one year later, in the Mercershurg Review 
for July, 1875, appeared another masterly contribu- 
tion from the pen of this young but studious minis- 
ter, entitled "Apostolic Succession.'' He did not 

*For a statement of the local conditions which prompted this article, 
and several additional quotations from it, see pages 28-30. 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 185 

write simply for the sake of writing, but because 
he had something to say, some message to deliver, 
which he believed would enlighten the Church. 
This article was afterwards published in pamphlet 
form with the following sub-title, which is an index 
to its true character : * ' The Exclusive Claims of Ro- 
manism and Episcopalianism to a Valid Ministry 
Weighed and Found Wanting. " It was widely cir- 
culated and called forth favorable and unfavorable 
criticism. * 

The article is somewhat exhaustive, covering 
nearly twenty-nine pages of the Review. In the 
introduction he defines the Church, speaking of its 
character and design, and showing how it starts in 
the person of Christ, and as His mystical body 
constitutes the form of His presence in the world. 
Among other things he says : 

The Christian Church is the organic embodiment 
of Christianity, an order of life found nowhere else in 
the world. For Christianity, in its deepest ground, is 
not an influence simply, exerted on humanity by Christ 
through the Holy Ghost, neither is it a system of super- 
natural powers only, nor the true religion merely, but 
an order of life, flowing directly from the person of 
Jesus Christ, and actualizing itself in the Christian 
Church, which is His Body." 

He then refers to the origin of the ministry on 
the day of Pentecost, and of its central significance 
in the establishment of the Christian Church, in 

*The flattering comment of Dr. J. W. Nevin is quoted on page 32. An 
extract from the article may be found on pages 30 and 31. 



186 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

which it must hold essentially the same position 
always, and thus constitute the organ through 
which the Church is perpetuated from one genera- 
tion to another. 
About the theme of his article he has this to say : 

The question of Apostolic succession is not an idle 
one, but a question which challenges our most serious 
and careful consideration. In it are involved conse- 
quences of profound and far reaching significance for all 
who profess and call themselves Christians; since he 
alone can be a true minister of our Lord, invested with 
authority by Christ Himself, to go forth in His name as 
His ambassador, representing Him in His Church, 
founded on the day of Pentecost, who has received his 
authority from Jesus Christ, through His Apostles, at 
the hands of their successors." 

Then he begins his attack upon the exclusive 
claims of Romanists and High Church Episcopalians 
to a valid ministry, and proceeds to prove that ' * the 
great Protestant non-Episcopal Reformation 
Churches of Germany, as well as all other Protest- 
ant bodies that have received and preserved the 
succession of their ministry through Presbyters, 
must be acknowledged to possess a ministry as truly 
valid as that of the Roman Catholic and Episcopal 
Churches ; and that in spite of the lamentable divi- 
sions of Christendom, the bond of union has not 
been wholly severed, but that the different Churches 
are still essentially one.'* 

A very pertinent statement is the following : 

When the Reformers by necessity separated them- 
selves from the Roman hierarchy, they did not origi- 



DE. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 187 

nate a new Church, but simply cast off the shell of 
Romanism, which had hardened around the true life 
of the holy Catholic Church, and was stunting its 
growth. The Reformation was not a protest against 
the Catholic Church, but against the then existing 
Roman form of the Church. It was in the strictest 
sense a reformation within the bosom of the Catholic 
Church; the historical product of its life, which, grow- 
ing in might for ages, burst forth in new forms, and 
then the powers originally granted to Presbyters were 
reasserted and put into exercise." 

After pointing out some admitted vacancies and 
irregularities, damaging to the claims of unbroken 
succession in the ministry of both the Roman 
Catholic and Episcopalian Churches, he concludes 
thus : 

" Since, then, we are all obliged to acknowledge, the 
Romanist as well as the Protestent, the Episcopalian as 
well as the Presbyterian, that there have been, at dif- 
ferent times in the history of the Church, disturbances 
in the ordinary law of ministerial succession, must we 
also admit that the succession itself has for this reason 
been interrupted, and thus deprived of its validity? Not 
at all. For it is the presence of Christ's life in His 
Body as an organic historical whole — which life is 
broader and deeper than its ordinary manifestations, 
and therefore not absolutely limited by them — that 
supports the true succession of the ministry, and by its 
innate reproductive power overcomes the defects which, 
under extraordinary circumstances, imperil the his- 
torical continuance of the One, Holy Catholic and 
Apostolic Church. At all times and under all circum- 
stances, in the midst of world- crises, attended with 
great confusion and uncertainty on the part of men, 
just as really as before and after these ecclesiastical up- 



188 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

heavals, the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of His 
divine-human life, present through the Holy Ghost in 
His mystical body, has continued in His Church the 
needful organs of His life and their necessary functions, 
so that the gates of Hades have at no time prevailed 
against His Church founded on a rock, neither have 
the power and authority of the original commission 
given to the Apostles been lost." 

The article throughout is clear, logical, scholarly 
and convincing — at least to those who are open to 
conviction. 

Three articles from the pen of Dr. Gerhard 
appeared in the Messenger in 1876. The first is en- 
titled *' Naaman's Miraculous Cure, and the Remis- 
sion of Sin." 

In this article he points out both the similarity 
and the difference between the Syrian general' s 
miraculous cure and the Christian's deliverance 
from sin. 

In comparing leprosy and sin he says : 

Leprosy manifests itself externally on the surface 
of the skin, but is nevertheless a deep-seated disease 
that attacks the bones and marrow of the individual 
afflicted; so that he gradually becomes deformed, and 
presents a most pitiably wretched appearance. Sin 
reveals itself in our thoughts, words and actions, but as 
an evil principle is co-eval with our conception and 
birth. It dwells in the inmost centre of our being, 
and, if not overcome, destroys not only the body; but 
carries the whole man, body, soul and spirit, into 
hopeless ruin, and everlasting torment. No simply 
human remedy can remove it. God only can forgive 
sin, as it is even more incurable than leprosy." 



DR. GEEHARD AS AN AUTHOR 189 

In speaking of the remission of sin, he goes on 
to say : 

" But as God cleansed Naaman's leprosy through 
the instrumentality of Elisha the prophet, so He for- 
gives and removes the leprosy of sin through the in- 
strumentahty of men. He forgives sin through His 
Incarnate Son, the God-man, and through those who 
are set apart by Him as His ministers. God only can 
forgive sins, but He forgives them, not by holding direct 
communication with the sinner, but through Christ, 
and through Christ's ministers, just as God healed 
Naaman through Elisha." 

He argues for the power of ministers to forgive 
sins in the name of Christ, quoting a number of 
pertinent sayings of Jesus, and then continues : 

" Now our Lord Jesus Christ has either not kept this 
His promise that He would be with His ministering ser- 
vants always, unto the end of the world, or else the 
Christian ministry have the same power and authority 
to-day that they had in the time of the Apostles. To 
be the true ministry of our Lord, they must still in some 
real sense have power and authority to remit and to retain 
sins. Explain it as we may, there stands the declara- 
tion of our Lord, ' Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are 
remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, 
they are retained.' 

" During His earthly sojourn our Savior forgave sins 
directly and immediately. He said^ ' Thy sins be for- 
given thee,' and with His word went the cleansing 
power that purified the soul of the individual addressed. 
His ascension into heaven has not removed His precious 
words and all-sufficient grace from the earth. Through 
the Holy Ghost He ever abides with His Church, and 
carries forward His redemptive work, through His or- 



190 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

dained ministry, who, acting by His authority and in 
His name, remit and retain sins in the use of the means 
appointed by Him for the purpose, and in which He is 
present. Apart from these means the ministry have no 
power whatever; but in their faithful use they are 
enabled to perform the solemn duties imposed on them 
by their Master." 

The second article is on the subject " This Do in 
Remembrance of Me," in which he shows that as a 
memorial the Holy Eucharist has a threefold char- 
acter, being a memorial that we make to ourselves, 
a memorial before our brethren and before the 
world, and a memorial before God. The main argu- 
ment of the article is to show that, although God is 
a Spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and in 
truth, and although it is natural to suppose that He 
would make His nearest approach to us by oper- 
ating as a Spirit directly upon our spirits, neverthe- 
less we ascertain that His most blessed and gracious 
communion has always been joined with external 
acts and objects, in proof of which he adduces a 
number of Scriptural incidents. 

" The Kingdom of God Cometh Not With Obser- 
vation " is the subject of the third article, written 
during the Advent season, and is doubtless the 
substance of a sermon he had recently preached. 

In December, 1877, there are two contributions 
on ' ' The Written Word ^ ' and " The Word of God. ' ' 

During the next three years no articles appeared 
in the Messenger, so far as signed contributions are 
concerned, but in the April number of the Mercers- 
burg Review for 1898, we find a scholarly discus- 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 191 

sion from his pen on ''Life Beyond the Grave/' his 
favorite theme. 

He refers to biology as a science that was begin- 
ning to attract attention at that time, with its two 
schools of thought — the Materialists and the Tran- 
scendentalists — the one asserting that there is but 
one principle in the universe, matter ; and the other 
that there are two, matter and mind, or spirit. So 
far as the future life is concerned, from the stand- 
point of the Materialists, there is none, except the 
influence which men leave behind, for, according 
to their conception of life, sensation, thought and 
energy cannot exist in the absence of molecules of 
which they are the phenomena. From such a doc- 
trine Dr. Gerhard shrinks with horror. The Tran- 
scendentalists, on the other hand, with a theistic 
system of philosophy, regard immortality as think- 
able and credible. Of course, science can do no 
more than say that immortality is probable. 

Dr. Gerhard says : 

When science attempts to supersede and set aside 
the Word of God it oversteps its boundary lines. Its 
mission is to interpret the facts of nature. It cannot 
account for the origin of things, neither can it discover 
to us the higher truths of the spiritual world. These 
are known only by faith. Jesus Christ did not pretend 
to demonstrate scientifically the truths which He set 
forth. He did not appeal to the senses, nor to the 
natural understanding of His hearers, but to their spir- 
itual instincts. As science presupposes and acts upon 
self-evident truths, so man's apprehension of spiritual 
truths presupposes his susceptibility for the super- 
natural. Revelation is super-rational, but not contra- 



192 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

rational. It meets the natural yearnings and intuitions 
of men, and by its Divine light produces spiritual 
vision. Realities, which we cannot lay hold of by 
means of the senses, or the natural understanding, we 
nevertheless know by faith. There is a certitude of 
faith which is as real in reference to spiritual truths, as 
the certitude of scientific knowledge in reference to 
natural truths. Through faith we understand that the 
worlds were framed by the Word of God, and through 
faith we know that man lives after death.'' 

Rejecting the tv^o extreme views of disembodied 
spirits, or ''flitting shades,'' and the passing away 
of the departed into another material world lying 
somewhere beyond the stars, both of which are 
unscriptural, the author advances his own views, 
which are an anticipation of what he elaborated 
upon in his '' Death and the Resurrection,'' seven- 
teen years later. 

He asserts : 

* ' We are thus warranted by the Word of God to hold 
that human life beyond the grave is in some sense em- 
bodied, just as really before the resurrection as after- 
wards. The soul is indeed unclothed, but not entirely 
naked. It is conscious of personality and identity. It 
does not simply exist, but lives. If aU that is corporeal 
in man were wholly severed from him at death, there 
could be no resurrection of the body, no recalling of it 
into activity, but its renewed activity would require a 
creation de novo. With the Church of all ages, ' I be- 
lieve in the resurrection of the body,' but I do not be- 
lieve in the resurrection of the corpse. This is separated 
from the personal life of man at death, and dissolved 
into its original elements. The Scriptures teach the 
resurrection of man from the dead — his resurrection in 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 193 

spirit, soul and body. In his three-fold nature he dies, 
and in his three-fold nature he rises from the dead. 
Between death and the resurrection he hves in an inter- 
mediate state of inwardness and spiritualness, in which 
his activity is neither conditioned by sense, nor by the 
perfect spiritual body with which he shall be clothed at 
the last day." 

In the second half of the article he speaks of the 
moral condition of the dead, and the sphere of 
their activity. He points out that the common 
view in regard to life beyond the grave lays too 
much stress on the idea of locality, and does not 
attach sufficient importance to character. 

"A man's moral state in this life is conditioned by 
his character, not by his place of residence. The same 
thing precisely must be true of the future world. As a 
man lives so he dies. Death does not violently trans- 
form him, but is only the medium of entrance into a 
new sphere of existence, where his life is continued, 
with totally new surroundings, but nevertheless remains 
the same personal life. In whatever disposition or 
state of soul a man dies, in that will he be found in the 
eternal world. Death refines nothing, purifies nothing, 
kiUs no sin, does not promote holiness. His ultimate 
destiny is irrevocably sealed only when he attains to 
final permanence of character. Eternal punishment is 
the result of eternal sin, and eternal blessedness the 
consequence of permanently established righteousness. 
Probation, from the very nature of things, cannot be 
limited to a certain period of duration, but must con- 
tinue until the soul passes into an absolutely perma- 
nent state. The final judgment is the summing up of 
all that has gone before, the conclusion of human his- 
tory, and thus of all probationary life, because this life 
has run to seed." 



194 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

After quoting a number of Scriptural passages, 
referring to the condition of man after death, he 

says : 

* ' In no case can eternal life or death be consum- 
mated apart from Jesus Christ. Doubtless every soul, 
at some period of its existence, either in this life or the 
next, will be challenged to accept or reject the offered 
grace of Him who is the righteous Judge of all." 

About the condition of the departed he says : 

But as their salvation is not yet objectively com- 
plete, so neither is it at once subjectively perfect. Death 
effects no arbitrary or magical change. The spiritual 
faculties of the departed are no doubt quickened and 
enlarged; the reality and meaning of their existence 
dawns upon them as never before; they recognize their 
relation to God more clearly, and understand themselves 
more fully ; but their personal identity is preserved, and 
their affections remain unaltered. Death does not pro- 
duce love for Christ and trust in Him. It simply opens 
the way for their fuller exercise and power." 

In the Messenger of June 8, 1881, he writes a 
lengthy article on "Translations of the Bible, *^ 
with special reference to the revised version of the 
New Testament, being the reproduction of a ser- 
mon preached at Columbia, Pa. 

*' Christian Education and the Public Schools^* is 
the title of an article contributed to the Reformed 
Quarterly Review, for April, 1882, in which he 
traces the history of the public schools from their 
establishment in Pennsylvania under Governor 
Wolf in 1834, to their condition in his day. He pays 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 195 

a high tribute to Thomas H. Burrowes, who did 
pioneer work in estabhshing the schools throughout 
the state, giving some interesting statistics of re- 
sults achieved. 

In view of the more recent movement to omit the 
reading of the Bible and prayer from public school 
exercises, it is interesting to note what he says on 
this subject. He quotes from the Digest of the 
Common School Law of Pennsylvania, 1876, that 
''The Scriptures come under the head of text- 
books and they should not be omitted from the 
list/' and goes on to say : 

"It is the general custom, in the public schools of 
the state, to open the morning exercises by reading a 
passage from the Bible, and offering a silent, or an 
audible prayer, which frequently is the Lord's Prayer. 
The school books, too, are all written from the theistic 
standpoint, and whoever is famihar with our common 
schools will acknowledge that the atmosphere which 
pervades them is not wholly devoid of religion, and 
that in so far as it is religious it is Christian, rather 
than Jewish, pagan or atheistic. Neither is the Bible 
read only in the Pennsylvania schools. It is read in 
all the public schools of the Union, except those of 
Cincinnati and Chicago, from which it was excluded in 
1873, in the case of the former, and in 1875 in the 
case of the latter, on the ground that it is unjust to 
require the children of Roman Catholics, Jews, and 
non-Christians to listen to the reading of a book in 
which they do not believe. This radical position de- 
mands that our public schools shall be not only non- 
sectarian, whilst they are, nevertheless, tacitly Chris- 
tian, but that they shall be utterly devoid of all re- 
ligion. And such, it must be admitted, is the inevi- 



196 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

table sequence of the non-sectarian theory pushed to 
its logical conclusion.'' 

We may add that in our day the theory is being 
rapidly pushed to this conclusion. 

Dr. Gerhard then proceeds to show that a secular 
education, or merely intellectual culture, is not 
sufficient for the proper training of man's entire 
nature, for it is often noticed that a cultivated mind 
may be found in persons who lack both a loving 
heart and a well-trained will that freely chooses 
the right. The state is not the only institution 
which has a duty to perform in the solution of the 
educational question. On this point he declares : 

** The complete and proper education of the young 
can be effected only through the co-operation of the 
family, the Church and the state. These institutions 
are all of divine origin. They each have their part to 
perform, and each one constitutes an important factor 
in all true education, which must recognize the import- 
ant truth that we owe duties to ourselves and our chil- 
dren, to our fellow-men and to God. This gives us the 
idea of the family, the state and the Church. As our 
first and highest duties are those which we owe to God, 
the preponderating influence should be exerted by the 
Church, but the Church even dare not arrogate to itself 
the exclusive privilege of educating the young, since we 
must learn how to be good citizens, as well as how to be 
good Church members. A purely ecclesiastical educa- 
tion would be one-sided and therefore defective. The 
state has also its rights and obligations, and it is under 
this view that we defend its activity in furnishing means 
for the education of the rising generation." 

He goes on to show how the home, the Sunday- 
school, the Church and the public school, each in its 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 197 

own sphere, can accomplish the work of educating 
the whole man, in body and mind and heart. About 
the influence of the latter he says : 

' ' In taking this position we have not overlooked the 
fundamental truth that religion and daily hfe cannot 
be divorced, but that the former must be carried into 
the latter, and permeate all our secular activities, if 
these are to come up to the demands of Christianity. 
We have not forgotten the exhortation of the Apostle: 
' ^\^lether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, 
do all to the glory of God.' This injunction, whilst in 
a certain sense it has a profound meaning for institu- 
tions and systems as such, is, nevertheless, to rest more 
particularly upon the hearts and consciences of individ- 
uals, and in this way applies with great force to the 
teachers in our public schools. If they dare not make 
any comments on what is read from the Bible, nor 
teach any particular system of religious doctrine, it is 
nevertheless their duty to do all their work for the glory 
of God, by making their light shine, and unfolding 
themselves as living epistles of Jesus Christ before their 
pupils. Just as all the text-books are written from the 
theistic standpoint, so have Christian nations and Chris- 
tian communities the right to demand that all the teach- 
ing shall proceed from the same standpoint. And if 
unworthy or skeptical teachers find their way into our 
schools, it is the duty of the directors, who are the ser- 
vants of the people, and therefore under obligations to 
consult their wishes, to see to the removal of such in- 
structors." 

After speaking of boarding schools and state in- 
stitutions, he makes a plea for the denominational 
college, saying : 

May we not beUeve that there is a Providence in 
this too, that our higher institutions of learning are 



198 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

nearly all denominational? The colleges which are 
exerting the greatest influence are those which are car- 
ried forward under the auspices and loving care of 
some branch of the Church of Jesus Christ. That this 
should be the case has perhaps never yet been properly 
appreciated, nor has this phase of the educational 
problem received the attention which it deserves." 

He concludes the article thus : 

*' Education, to be true, in the universities, the 
colleges, and the public schools, must recognize the 
existence both of nature and the supernatural, and 
properly acknowledge the legitimate claims of each. 
It is no doubt difficult to hold these two in right rela- 
tion to each other, but just this is the mission of Chris- 
tian education. The key to the solution of the problem 
is the person of Jesus Christ. In Him the natural and 
the spiritual flow together and perfectly harmonize, 
since He is at once their author and highest product — 
the God-man. It is highly important, therefore, to 
remember that what we need is not simply the theistic, 
but the Christo-theistic standpoint from which to survey 
truth in every department of human learning. For 
just as Jesus Christ is, in His own person, the center 
from which revelations and redemptions have come 
forth, so is He also the center from which philosophical 
and scientific thought must be unfolded. The Christo- 
logical idea, properly wrought out, alone can remove the 
conflict between science and religion, as well as between 
secular and religious training." 

From December 19, 1883, to October 31, 1888, he 
was Synodical Editor of the Reformed Church Mes- 
senger , during which time a large number of arti- 
cles appear on a variety of subjects. Among those 
which bear his signature may be mentioned the 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 199 

following: 1884— " Children of God," '^ The Word 
of God," ''Sudden Conversions," '' The Judgment 
Day, " ' * Zaccheus, the Publican, " ' ' Sacrifices ;" 
1885 — ''Paul at Miletus," "Increasing in the 
Knowledge of God," "The Suffering Savior," 
"BenHur," "Keeping the Body in Subjection," 
"The Symbolical Import of Fire in the Sacred 
Scriptures, " " Premature Burials, " " Clerical Man- 
ners," "Hospitals for the Insane," " The Mystery 
of Sorrow, " " House-cleaning ; ' ' 1886 — ' ' Santa 
Claus and Deception," "He Came unto His Own 
and His Own Received Him Not," "Recollections 
of College Life," "Christians and Christians;" 
1887— " Intelligent Christians," " The Destruction 
of Sodom," "Christ's Resurrection Salutation," 
"Remember the Sabbath Day to Keep it Holy," 
"A Much Needed Reform," "Prohibition in Ten- 
nessee;" 1888- "Organization," "My First Trip 
Across the Atlantic, " "Over the Mediterranean," 
* ' From Milan to Zurich, " " The Tithe. ' ' 

However much we should like to quote from all 
of these articles, in order to show the versatility of 
the writer, it will be impossible for us to do so, but 
we shall reproduce several of the most important of 
them in full. One of these is entitled ' ' Sudden 
Conversions," about which Dr. Gerhard has this 
to say : 

"Churches, which practice catechetical instruction 
and employ that method of receiving members, do not 
believe, it is asserted, in sudden conversions. We deny 
the assertion, and propose to show that we admit the 



200 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

possibility of sudden conversions, at the same time that 
we strenuously uphold and zealously practice catecheti- 
cal instruction. 

* ' To make plain what we mean we will take the case 
of Zaccheus, the publican. He was instantaneously con- 
verted, and the change produced was very marked and 
thorough. Being diminutive of stature, and yet having 
a great deal of curiosity, he climbed into a sycamore 
tree, beneath which he saw that Jesus was about to 
pass. When the Savior came to the place He looked 
up and said, ' Zaccheus, make haste and come down, 
for today I must abide at thy house.' Zaccheus in- 
stantly obeyed. He at once made up his mind for 
Jesus. Then and there he decided for Christ and 
received Him, the record tells us, joyfully. Now, that 
is just what we mean by conversion, to make a decision 
for Christ and receive Him joyfully, with all the heart. 
With Zaccheus the matter was accomplished in a 
moment. He was swiftly and suddenly transformed 
from a dishonest publican into a penitent believer. 

* 'And just as Zaccheus was suddenly brought to repent 
of his sins and confess Christ, so also may others be sud- 
denly converted. Far be it from us to set limits in any 
way to God's power and grace. Under peculiar circum- 
stances He does undoubtedly sometimes flash light upon 
a darkened soul in a moment, as in the case of Zaccheus, 
the Philippian jailor, and other instances mentioned in 
the Scriptures. But this is not the Lord's ordinary 
method of saving men. Where you find one instance 
of sudden conversion, you find a hundred of gradual 
conversion. The remarkable exceptions to which men 
point, attract so much attention for the very reason that 
they are exceptions to the general rule. In most in- 
stances the good work goes forward by slow degrees, as 
was the case with the Old Testament saints, and most 
of the New Testament saints. It was a gradual work 
in the case of the patriarchs, prophets and Apostles, with 
the single exception of St. Paul. His conversion was 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 201 

sudden and violent. That of St. John and all the other 
Apostles was silent, gradual and gentle as the gather- 
ing dew. 

"It is so now. Of those who become Christians in 
our own age the vast majority come from our Sunday- 
schools and from Christian families. With all the 
special efforts that are resorted to, the outside world 
furnishes but a small number of steadfast recruits for 
the Church. Almost universally those who have been 
brought up in the fear of the Lord are the ones who 
make the substantial members and pillars of the Church. 
Although, in this respect again, there are occasionally 
exceptions to the general rule. Sometimes those who 
are won over from the world in mature life enter upon the 
Christian vocation with so much sincerity and zeal that 
they, in a great measure, redeem the time already lost. 
Many persons seem to think that if they have once 
made a real decision for Christ they will afterwards ex- 
perience but little difficulty in keeping up the Christian 
life. This is a mistake. People may be suddenly con- 
verted, but conversion is never suddenly completed. 
Having once turned from the world and sin to God in 
Christ, they must keep turned. In whatever way we 
may have been brought into a state of grace, whether 
suddenly or by slow degrees, our conversion can only be 
matured in the way of continuous growth. First the 
blade, then the ear, and after that the full ripe corn in 
the ear. And just this is the reason why Jesus de- 
mands not only self -surrender to Him, but also an open 
confession and union with the Church. Our individual 
Christian life is connected with the life of God's people 
and needs the means of grace for its growth, as well as 
constant personal faith and obedience, watchfulness and 
prayer." 

Dr. Gerhard was a great reader, and with keen 
discernment he grasped the vital truths presented 
in the books of his day, and did not hesitate to 



202 THE LIFE OF DR. GEEHARD 

point out their defects. He frequently recommended 
good books to his people, and at times referred to 
them in his Messenger editorials. He has this to 
say about *' Ben-Hur :'* 

" It is a story of the Christ, with no attempt, however, 
of reproducing the life of Jesus of Nazareth. The 
author is wiser than the old apocryphal writers. He 
evidently keenly realizes that inspiration alone is 
capable of adequately portraying the life of the Incar- 
nate Son of God. The entire narrative revolves around 
the Christ, but such is the author's reverence for the 
Divine Man and the Sacred Record that he attempts 
little more than to bring forward the attending circum- 
stances of His birth and ministry, with special refer- 
ence to the political condition of the world at that 
time, as well as to the fact that through His advent 
the thoughts of many hearts were indeed revealed. 
The evident purpose of the author is not to write the 
life of Christ, but to point Him out as ' the Desire of 
all Nations.' * * * h= ****** ^j^^ 

book is a powerful novel, abounding with admirable 
delineations of character, intensely interesting, and so 
carefully wrought out, that it is destined to become a 
classic. It is one of the few books, which, when once 
read, enter into one's life as a great joy." 

In the article already referred to, on " Christian 
Education and the Public Schools," he criticises the 
book by Herbert Spencer entitled ''Education, 
Intellectual, Moral and Physical." Speaking, at 
first, of the book as ''so admirable in style, so 
forcible and happy in illustration, so conclusive in 
argument, so profoundly true to nature, so fair and 
candid, the heart of the reader warms to the 
author, and one is tempted to forget the insidious 



DR. GEE HARD AS AN AUTHOR 203 

agnostic philosophy that pervades its every page/' 
he concludes by saying, "but how sad to think that 
it has no room for a personal God, and knows 
nothing of sin as an offense against Him, or of the 
life to come !'' 

Another brief article which we feel we ought to 
reproduce in its entirety, because of its practical 
value, is that on " The Mystery of Sorrow." 

"Practically nearly ail persons are eudemonists. 
Most of us beheve that goodness produces happiness, 
that sin brings misery, and that we ought to do right 
that we may be happy. No doubt there is a truth in 
this theory, because sin is the admitted cause of all our 
misery. But as the world is at present constituted the 
innocent often suffer with the guilty. Wrong-doing 
produces misery, but the pain does not, in every in- 
stance, fall upon the authors of the e\T.l. These some- 
times escape whilst the innocent suffer. Sorrow does 
not always indicate that the afflicted one has done 
wrong. On the other hand, people often suffer just 
because of their integrity. There is a mystery about 
suffering hard to explain. It seems to belong to human 
life as such. It is a part of our lot. No one is exempt 
from it. Some endure more than others, but the good 
and the bad are all acquainted with sorrow. 

"'There are two inadequate ways of accounting,' 
says F. W. Robertson, 'for this mystery of sorrow. 
One, originating in a zeal for God's justice, represents 
it as invariably the chastisement of sin, or at least as 
correction for fault. But, plainly, it is not always such. 
Joseph's griefs were the consequences, not of fault, but 
of rectitude. The integrity which, on some unknown 
occasion, made it his duty to carry his brethren's evil 
report to their father, was the occasion of his slavery. 
The purity of his life was the cause of his imprisonment. 



204 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

Fault is only a part of the history of this great matter 
of sorrow. Another theory created by zeal for God's 
love, represents sorrow as the exception, and happiness 
as the rale of life. We are made for enjoyment, it is 
said, and on the whole there is more enjoyment than 
wretchedness. 

" 'This solution will not do. Let us look the truth 
in the face. " Man is born to sorrow as the sparks fly 
upward." Sorrow is not an accident, occurring now 
and then ; it is the very woof which is woven into the 
warp of life. God has created the nerves to agonize, 
and the heart to bleed; and before a man dies, almost 
every nerve has thrilled with pain, and every affection 
has been wounded. The account of life which repre- 
sents it as probation is inadequate ; so is that which 
regards it chiefly as a system of rewards and punish- 
ments. The truest account of this mysterious existence 
seems to be that it is intended for the development of 
the soul ' s life , for which sorrow is indispensable . Every 
son of man who would attain the true end of his 
being must be baptized with fire. It is the law of our 
humanity, as that of Christ, that we must be perfected 
through suffering. And he who has not discerned the 
Divine Sacredness of Sorrow, and the profound meaning 
which is concealed in pain, has yet to learn what life is. 
The Cross, manifested as the Necessity of the Highest 
Life, alone interprets it.' 

Some good people, failing to grasp this profound 
truth, are tempted to murmur at the good providence 
of God, and cannot become reconciled to their lot. 
They puzzle their minds to ascertain what they have 
done on account of which they are so deeply afflicted, 
instead of patiently taking up their cross and following 
the Master, who, for the joy that was set before Him, 
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set 
down at the right hand of God. Let us be content to 
suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. ' ' 



DE. GEEHAED AS AN AUTHOR 205 

On April 3, 1888, Dr. Gerhard took a trip to 
Europe and the Holy Land. He wrote a number of 
very interesting articles about this trip, describing 
the voyage across the Atlantic, and his visits to 
points of interest on the way from Liverpool to 
Jerusalem. In the letter headed ' ' Over the Med- 
iterranean," there is an interesting paragraph 
which we feel we must reproduce to show how 
much he enjoyed the trip, and how fascinating are 
some of his descriptions. 

"The next morning, when I got on deck, the first 
object that arrested my attention was Stromboli looming 
up to the southwest. I will never forget the thrill of 
joy which shot through my frame when I learned from 
my guide book that this same Stromboli was the identi- 
cal mountain which was regarded by the ancients as the 
seat of Aeolus, the god of the winds, whom I used to 
read of in Virgil. But I must confess that my pleasure 
and satisfaction in thus coming suddenly upon this 
strange mythological personage were all the keener. I 
lifted my hat and made a profound bow to him. He 
said nothing in reply. I raised my opera glasses at him 
and surveyed him again and again. As we came nearer, 
I saw the smoke rolling leisurely down over the north 
side. It made me think that the old fellow was lazy 
and not an early riser, and that he was probably only 
there enjoying his pipe after a late breakfast. But be 
that as it may, all day long I kept watching the strange 
old chap. Lofty, rugged and sterile he looked, yet 
strange to say, as we came still nearer I saw houses, and 
then I knew that in this remarkable country there were 
people actually living on the edge of a volcano. On the 
eastern slope down towards the sea there is quite a vil- 
lage. How can persons make a living there ? I cannot 
teU, unless by fishing. But not only did the ancients 



206 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

have strange fancies in reference to Stromboli. It was 
believed during the middle ages that Charles Martel had 
been banished to this mountain, and ' returning Cru- 
saders professed distinctly to have heard the lamenta- 
tions of tortured souls in purgatory, to which this was 
said to be the entrance, imploring the intercession of 
the monks of Clugny for their deliverance.' " 

In a letter on ''Athens'^ he says : 

"The glory of Athens has departed. Its ruins re- 
main. They have a tongue which speaks with thrill- 
ing eloquence. What strange thoughts crowd into the 
mind as one stands among the noble columns of the 
temple of Jupiter Olympius ; wanders over the Stadium, 
which in its glory had marble seats for fifty thousand 
spectators; sits down in the theatre of Dionysus, in 
which the dramas of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, 
and Aristophanes were rendered ; drinks from the 
fountain of Aesculapius; ascends the stone steps of the 
Areopagus and stands where St. Paul preached his 
memorable sermon to the Athenians ; passes through 
the magnificent Propylsea to the Acropolis, nobly con- 
spicuous from every part of the city; leisurely exam- 
ines the Temple of Athene, the Erechtheum and the 
Parthenon itself ; comes down from the Acropolis to the 
Pnyx and stands on the celebrated Bema^ or Pulpit 
Kock, from which Demosthenes, Pericles, Themistocles, 
Aristides and Solon addressed the Athenians; and de- 
scends to the Agora, or Market Place, where St. Paul 
delivered his daily sermon ! Only ruins are left, but 
they have a magnificent history behind them, the mem- 
ory of which thrills one's inmost soul." 

In speaking of the trip from Milan to Zurich, he 
gives an account of a visit to the localities made 
sacred by the heroic deeds of William Tell. He 
says: 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 207 

"We went to Lucerne and Vitznau, from which 
point we ascended the Rigi. The Rigi is a group of 
mountains twenty-five miles in circumference, but the 
term is ordinarily understood as designating the peak 
over which there is a railroad. The distance from 
Vitznau, where the ascent begins, to the summit or 
kulm, which is five thousand nine hundred and six feet 
high, is four and a half miles by an inclined railroad. 
From the top there is an extended view, of a most ex- 
traordinary character, three hundred miles in circum- 
ference: snow-capped mountains, peaceful valleys, 
gradual slopes, precipitous descents, elevated plateaus, 
quiet lakes, towns and cities. There are at least seven 
lakes visible, and such a variety of scenery that, in it- 
self, it is indescribable. But the clouds, not taken into 
consideration when one is beneath them, in viewing 
scenery, here form a very important feature, and by 
constantly changing ever give a new appearance to the 
wonderful panorama. To be above the clouds produces 
a peculiar sensation in the beholder. We looked upon 
them and at times were able to see under them. Then 
again they rose upward and surrounded us, so that we 
were literally in the clouds." 

He then gives this description of a sunrise which 
he witnessed from this mountain at half -past three 
o'clock in the morning : 

" It was so cold that I wore my heavy overcoat 
buttoned up, and my shawl over it, and was none too 
warm. There were no clouds above us, but all around 
us, almost at our feet, they hung over the valleys 
below. Towards the south there were heavy masses, 
with a large opening, like a lake, through their midst. 
Far away towards the east there was a faint blush on 
the few clouds that hovered on the horizon. This 
gradually deepened into amber, orange and vermilion 



208 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

tints. These expanded and became ever brighter, the 
advancing dawn beautifully lighting up the fleecy 
clouds in the north, whilst behind us, towards the 
west, the colors of the east were reflected. Bolder and 
bolder became the strokes of the Heavenly Painter, 
and the reddening light brighter and brighter, until 
suddenly, like a ball of fire, the sun began to mount 
upward, sending a thrill of ecstasy through one's in- 
most soul. It was a grand sight, never to be forgotten. ' ' 

After his return from the Holy Land, Dr. Ger- 
hard gave a series of Sunday evening lectures to 
the members and friends of St. Stephen's Re- 
formed Church, of v^hich he was then pastor. 
Abstracts of these lectures were printed in the 
Messenger, beginning November 28, 1888, and end- 
ing January 30, 1889, and also in the Reformed 
Church Record of the same period. 

On April 17, 1889, he contributed an article to the 
Messenger on ' 'Temperance and the Bible, ' ' in which 
he emphasizes the fact that the Scriptural idea of 
temperance is ''power over one's self,'' or "self- 
control." He then takes up the question of intox- 
icating liquors, and condemns their use as a beverage. 

In the Reformed Quarterly Review for January, 
1891, there is an important article on "The New 
Birth," a subject on which Dr. Gerhard had 
thought and written before. This is the opening 
paragraph : 

* ' It is a remarkable fact that on a subject of such 
vast importance, and one so clearly defined in the 
Scriptures, as the new birth, there should be so much 
difference of opinion among Christians. Many claim 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 209 

that it is brought to pass through baptism, whilst others 
declare that it is an experience and has nothing to do 
with baptism. Between these two positions there are 
various shades of belief, but all Christians hold, in some 
sense, either to the one or the other opinion named; 
they either believe in some form of baptismal regener- 
ation, or accept some form of the experimental theory." 

Here, again, he felt constrained to contribute to 
the solution of a great problem confronting the 
Church. He asks : 

'*In these days of creed revision, and intense theo- 
logical activity, may not perhaps the subject of baptism 
also be restudied and restated with profit ? Is it not 
the duty of the Church to formulate the doctrine in 
such a manner as to meet the peculiar needs of the age ?' ' 

Then he adds : 

"Believing that such is the case, the following paper 
has been prepared and is offered as a humble contribu- 
tion toward the performance of this important work." 

He takes up a number of Scripture passages that 
speak of water, of washing, and of baptism as con- 
nected in an important manner with our salvation. 
He quotes from the Church Fathers to show that 
there was unanimity among them in emphasizing 
the prominence and importance of the sacrament of 
baptism as a means of grace. He complains that 
today the majority of Protestants see no meaning 
in baptism, "except as an ordinance appointed by 
our Lord, and therefore not to be omitted, although 
it is regarded only as a sign, or at most, as a seal, 



210 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

but not as a means of grace/' He affirms that the 
prominence which was given by Calvin and others 
to the doctrine of absolute predestination, by making 
it the center of their system of thinking, struck the 
first and heaviest blow at the correct conception of 
the Church as the mystical body of Christ, and made 
baptism not a grace-conferring sacrament, but only 
the sign and seal of grace, which is present or ab- 
sent, as the Divine decree determines. While the 
Reformation was a reaction against the externalism 
and formalism of the Church of the middle ages, 
and rescued the Scriptures from their oblivion, re- 
storing the word to its proper place in the economy 
of salvation, ''since that time the Bible has never 
been neglected, but its importance has been falsely 
emphasized at the expense of the Church and the 
sacraments." 

''According to the Scriptures, baptism is best de- 
fined as the door of admission into the Church, the 
sign and seal of the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of 
the Holy Ghost to believers, and to children presented 
by believers, obligating them in the most solemn 
manner to continuous repentance, faith and obedience. '^ 

In the Scriptures, regeneration is not ascribed 
exclusively to baptism, but also to the word. 
After stating that "baptism is the bath of regen- 
eration, but the abiding and working seed of the 
new life is the Word of God,'' he says : 

"The conclusion we arrive at, therefore, is that we 
are born again of water and the Spirit by the word. 
And just this is the reason why the sacrament is never 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 211 

administered without the word. With its administra- 
tion are always connected a statement of its nature, 
profession of faith, vows and promises. It is these that 
give it significance and efficacy. The sacrament estab- 
lishes a new relation with Jesus Christ, but the word, 
awakening faith, makes this relation organic, that is, 
living. In other words, baptism sets the grai^t, whilst 
faith is the organ through which alone the life of the 
vine can flow into the branch." 

The remainder of the article is devoted to a con- 
sideration of the new birth. He says : 

"We believe, therefore, that the most comprehensive 
English term, that is, the word 'birth,' expresses most 
nearly what the writers of the New Testament wished 
to set forth in the spiritual sphere when they spoke of 
the great change which takes place when we become 
new creatures in Christ Jesus. They had before their 
minds not simply a possibility, nor merely the gracious 
relation in which we stand to Christ through our bap- 
tism, but an actual birth — a soul born of God and in 
living communion with Him. ******** 
This new birth, the Savior tells us, is of a deeply mys- 
terious character. He compares it to the wind, of 
which we cannot tell whence it cometh, or whither it 
goeth, at the same time that its presence is plainly man- 
ifested by the effect which it produces. So the person 
in whom the great change of regeneration has been 
wrought does not understand whence the new impres- 
sions which he experiences proceed, nor whither they 
are leading him. He only knows that, whereas he was 
spiritually dead, now he is alive; whereas he was blind, 
now he sees, but he cannot comprehend the transfor- 
mation which he has undergone, any more than the 
beginning of his natural life. Our new life in Christ is 
not first of all, in its essence, an experience, else it 
were no mystery. It lies deeper than all conscious. 



212 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

sensible experience, but, as in the case of all other 
forms of life, it can be known only through its mani- 
festations. These do not produce the life, but where it 
exists it must reveal itself ; and our knowledge of its 
presence depends upon its manifestations." 

These manifestations are faith and love to God 
and to our fellow-men. * ' The faith that works by 
love, producing the fruits of the Spirit and the var- 
ious Christian graces, is the evidence that we are 
regenerate. ' ' He distinguishes between conversion 
and regeneration in the following words : 

' ' To conversion regeneration is related as cause to 
effect. The two terms are often confounded, but should 
be carefully distinguished. Conversion is the human 
act of turning from sin to God. It is possible only 
through the presence of regenerating grace in the heart. 
The same grace by means of which regeneration is effect- 
ed also produces the godly sorrow which worketh re- 
pentance unto life. Both manifest their presence at the 
same time, but, whilst regeneration is the act of God, 
imparting life to the soul, conversion is the activity of 
the soul in turning, under the influence of this life, 
from sin to holiness. 

"Both are to be distinguished from sanctification, 
which consists in the unfolding of the new life. As 
soon as this becomes active in the soul it awakens the 
opposition of the old Adamic life. Its development 
therefore involves a struggle, which varies according to 
the disposition, temperament, character, previous 
training and present environment of those who are 
under its influence. The history of every child of 
grace is that of a series of failures and successes, in the 
midst of which the Lord Jesus is ever present to for- 
give, to encourage, stimulate and strengthen, and thus 
to help forward the soul in holiness." 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 21^ 

This is one of the concluding statements : 

**A continually increasing number of Christian peo- 
ple keenly realize that the Divine and human factors 
come together in such a manner in the work of regen- 
eration, that whilst the power to accept the offered 
salvation all comes from God, the responsibility of 
accepting or rejecting the same rests altogether with 
man." 

In the Messenger of July 23, 1891, he writes on 
*'Prof. J. C. Bowman's Inaugural," speaking of 
the pleasure and satisfaction it gave him, and call- 
ing it a ''well digested, compact and suggestive 
paper," being ''thoroughly progressive and yet at 
the same time properly conservative. ' * At the close 
of his favorable criticism he says : 

We regard this address as an important and timely 
contribution to the literature of the Reformed Church. 
It well deserves to be read and studied, not only by the 
ministry, but also by our intelligent laity. It will 
answer many of the questions which are rising in men's 
minds everywhere, and will do much to inspire full 
confidence in the brother who, in the providence of 
God, has been called upon to occupy the chair of the 
new professorship. Of a man who enters upon his 
work, with the ideas and convictions of this inaugural, 
of the dangers, the importance and the privileges of his 
position, one need have no fears that he will fill the 
minds of our students with the seeds of a subtle and 
destructive rationalism on the one hand, or that he will 
harass them with the shackles of a dead orthodoxy on 
the other." 

Dr. Gerhard delivered the Alumni Address at 
Franklin and Marshall College on Wednesday 



214 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

evening, June 15, 1892, on the subject ''Man^s 
Origin and Future Destiny Viewed from the Scien- 
tific Standpoint/' The editor of the Messenger 
makes the following comment : 

The address was very well received and the author 
of it was the recipient of warm congratulations from 
many of the Alumni present. Much thought, research 
and study were spent upon it. It was a profound, able 
and philosophical address, and reflected great credit 
upon its author." 

In the Messenger for the following week an 
abstract of the address is given, from which we 
quote the following paragraphs : 

* * As to the origin of the world and the development 
of all forms of life it must be admitted that facts dis- 
covered by scientific investigators in the departments of 
palaeontology, archaeology, histology and biology are 
furnishing invincible proof that God's method of crea- 
tion is by evolution. 

We accept the revelation made in the Person of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, and believe in the inspiration of 
sacred Scripture, but at the same time desire to make 
earnest with the discoveries of science. All truth is 
one, and the Scriptures cannot be properly interpreted 
in a scientific age without giving full recognition to the 
facts which science has brought to light. Therefore, 
Biblical science must go hand in hand with natural 
science. A true exegesis needs to emphasize the im- 
portance of both the lower and higher criticisms, and 
must remember that truth for its proper apprehension 
requires the fullest and freest discussion, and that only 
by the clear statement of new truth can the destructive 
elements which its elaboration calls forth be eliminated. 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 216 

"The theory of the inspiration of the Scriptures 
which commends itself to an unscientific conception of 
the creation of the world must be modified in the light 
of modern scientific discoveries. The Bible is divine, 
but it is also human. It is divinely inspired with 
reference to moral and religious truth, and as such is 
the ultimate rule of Christian faith and practice. But 
it is also evident that its authors had no infallible or 
unusual knowledge in regard to the facts and processes 
of nature, and the production of the material universe. 
* * * * Revelation supplies the necessary postulates 
which empirical knowledge cannot discover. 

" Science therefore has its legitimate sphere and we 
need not hesitate in the interests of religion to thank- 
fully accept all its discoveries. Certain questions it can- 
not answer; such as the origin of matter, of life and of 
consciousness, but it can trace their development. This 
it has done and is doing more successfully every year, 
especially since the discovery of the law of evolution, 
which discloses the astounding truth that there is an all- 
pervading energy which unites and differentiates the 
various successive forms of existence. The discoveries 
of science have suggested and very largely demonstrated 
the hypothesis that the world, including all its diversified 
varieties of life, has come into its present form and con- 
dition as the result of a natural process of evolution 
operating through enormously long periods of time. 
That man was created in the image of God is a religious 
truth which science cannot deny, but it has completely 
revolutionized our conceptions of God's method of pro- 
cedure. We can no longer regard the word of creation 
' as a flash of magic, a result produced instantaneously 
without process, and without instrumentalities.' On 
the contrary, science has taught us that the world has 
passed through vast periods of creative activity, and also 
offers many conclusive proofs in favor of the position 
that all higher forms of life, including man himself, 
are the modified descendants of lower forms." 



216 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

The remainder of the address is devoted to a con- 
sideration of man's destiny, the favorite theme of 
Dr. Gerhard, to which reference is made in other 
parts of this chapter. 

The Homiletic Review for January, 1893, contains 
a masterly article on * ' The Progressive Nature of 
Revelation,'' which we feel justified in reproducing 
in full : 



That Divine revelation was progressive under the 
Old Testament dispensation is universally admitted. 
That it is also such under the New is not so generally 
acknowledged. In this paper we propose to limit our- 
selves entirely to the New Testament and to the dispen- 
sation of the Spirit. In opening the subject we will be 
guided by that remarkable declaration of our Savior: 
' I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot 
bear them now.' 

*'From the standpoint of confidence, Jesus Christ 
withheld nothing from His disciples. Not only did 
favored John enjoy His esteem, but He called them aU 
friends, and told them that whatsoever He had heard 
of His Father, that He made known unto them. 

" Nevertheless, there was a vast difference between 
the Master and His disciples. Many things He could 
not tell them because they could not as yet bear them. 
Had He made these things known to them He would 
have been grossly misunderstood. On account of their 
inexperience and slowness of mind and heart, our 
Savior kept to Himself many revelations which, under 
the circumstances, were necessarily reserved for a later 
period. All that could be done was to give them seed 
thoughts and set their minds to working. For all 
truth is many-sided and interrelated with other truth, 
and nothing is slower than the growth of ideas. Truth 
works its way by degrees. Mental operations are con- 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 217 

ditioned by psychological laws, which are stimulated, 
but have never been ignored or set aside by Divine 
inspiration. 

' ' To become the propagators of the new faith the 
Apostles were obliged to apprehend and appropriate the 
truth as it is in Jesus, and apply it to themselves and 
their surroundings. This they could not do suddenly 
or abruptly. Many things which the evangelists record 
in the Gospels they do not themselves understand. 
Neither is it necessary that they should, in order that 
they may adequately perform their task. They give us 
the words and acts of Jesus as they were preserved by 
those who heard and saw them. The Holy Ghost 
guided the Apostles and evangelists into all the truth, 
as Jesus had promised, but not in such a way as to con- 
travene the usual laws of intellectual growth and spirit- 
ual progress. In the Acts of the Apostles and in 
their epistles we can trace a development of Christian 
ideas. St. Paul's later epistles evince a maturity of 
thought which his earlier letters do not possess. His 
views on eschatology particularly became broader and 
more consistent. The Holy Spirit guided him and the 
other New Testament writers into all the truth, but the 
wholeness of the truth in its manifoldcess and multi- 
plicity of relations they did not understand ; neither do 
we, the believers of the nineteenth century, yet fully 
comprehend it. 

"Many things the Apostles did not know, though 
they were full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and 
called to the special mission of founding and teaching 
the Church, because, so long as there is growth and 
development, there can be, to a fiDite mind, itself 
subject to the law of growth, no fully complete knowl- 
edge. St. Paul says of himself and his fellow-laborers: 
' We see through a glass darkly. We know in part 
and we prophesy in part.' But he also adds: 'That 
which is in part shall be done away when that which 
is perfect is come.' By the final consummation the 



218 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

truth in all its wholeness will be brought out. First 
the blade, then the ear, and after that the full ripe corn 
in the ear. When the truth is full grown and ripe — 
that is to say, when the historic process of Christianity- 
shall have reached its completion — then it will be 
possible to see face to face, and to know as also we 
are known. 

' ' In the meantime, the Spirit is still guiding the 
Church into new phases of the truth . This is the reason 
why the Church problems of to-day are just as fresh, 
interesting and perplexing as they were in Apostolic 
times. So long as the Holy Spirit is in the Church, 
and the Church a living power in the world, new and 
troublesome questions will rise and will also be solved, 
so that there will always be a large measure of truth in 
the easily misleading saying that the heterodoxy of today 
is the orthodoxy of tomorrow. 

" For three years Jesus Christ instructed His disciples. 
During this period they learned many things, but others 
they could not learn until after Jesus was glorified, the 
Holy Ghost poured out, the Church established, and the 
Gospel preached for a considerable length of time. One 
of these was the admission of the Gentiles, without any 
legal conditions, to the privileges of the Gospel, on an 
equality with the Jews . For ten years after our Savior's 
ascension the Apostles confined themselves to the Jews. 
During all this time they were not willing to give the 
Gospel to the Gentiles unless they became proselytes to 
Judaism. A special divine interposition was needed to 
overcome Peter's prejudice. When the prayers and 
alms of Cornelius came up before God as a memorial, 
Peter learned through a vision, which came to 
him while he lay in a trance on the house top of 
Simon the tanner at Joppa, that he should not call 
any man common or unclean, and that God is no re- 
specter of persons, but that in every nation he that fear- 
eth Him and worketh righteousness is accepted of Him. 
And then, when the Holy Ghost, while he was preach- 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 219 

ing, fell on Cornelius and his household, as on the dis- 
ciples in the beginning, the Apostle was fully convinced 
that the blessings of the Christian dispensation were 
intended for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. 

" This was a new truth, toward the apprehension of 
which the infant Church had been growing, but when 
it was actually enunciated and put into practice it 
became the source of endless trouble. It involved con- 
sequences which required the Apostles to wholly recon- 
struct their theology. It was contrary to all their tra- 
ditional beliefs and practices. It seemed to strike at 
the very foundation of their entire religious system. 
If any one thing had been clearly taught and fully 
settled, it was that God's people should keep themselves 
strictly and entirely aloof from the Gentiles. And yet 
now Simon Peter had received a Gentile into fellowship 
with the disciples, and had actually baptized him. 

' ' So soon as the Apostle came to Jerusalem he was 
called to account for associating and eating with the 
uncircumcised. But when he had rehearsed the whole 
matter before them , they held their peace and glorified 
God, saying, ' Then hath God also to the Gentiles 
granted repentance unto life. ' And so the question was 
settled. Was it ? Not quite so fast. At Antioch it 
came up again in a new and aggravated form . For Paul 
and Barnabas not only admitted Gentiles into fellow- 
ship with the Church, but did so without requiring them 
to keep the law of Moses. These Gentile Christians 
were allowed to ignore the entire ceremonial law, and 
were received on simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 
What a revolution was this ! No wonder that Paul and 
Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with 
those who came down from Judea, and that it ended in 
the convocation of a synod at Jerusalem of the Apostles 
and elders for the consideration of the whole question. 

' 'After the matter had been freely and thoroughly 
discussed at the meeting of this first synod, Peter re- 
ferred to his experience with Cornelius, and concluded 



220 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

his address with this remarkable statement : ' But we 
believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
we shall be saved, even as they.' And when James, as 
president, gave the final decision, it was this: 'It 
seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon 
you no greater burden than these necessary things: 
that ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from 
blood, and from things strangled, and from fornica- 
tion.' To abstain from idolatrous pollutions and from 
fornication were duties which they owed to God; to 
abstain from things strangled and from blood were 
duties enjoined by brotherly love. There is not a word 
about circumcision or the ceremonial law. The Church 
had gradually risen up to the great truth that in Christ 
Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor un- 
circumcision, but a new creature. 

" Of this far-reaching saying St. Paul is the author; 
and although its truth was evidently at times perceived 
by the other Apostles, he alone consistently held to it. 
At Antioch, where he withstood Peter to the face, the 
latter at first fellowshipped with uncircumcised believ- 
ers; but afterward, when certain men came down from 
James, he withdrew and separated himself, and with 
the rest, including even Barnabas, again took the 
position that although Gentile Christians were not re- 
quired to keep the Mosaic law, Jewish Christians were 
still bound as before. How significant that it was 
Stephen, a Hellenistic Jew, and Saul of Tarsus, whose 
lives had both been influenced by a broader culture 
than that of Palestinian Jews, who first recognized as a 
necessary principle of the GovSpel, its freeness and 
breadth. Evidently God, in His all-wise providence, 
had directly prepared these men for the work, into 
which it seems only those could so early enter who were 
not bound by the narrowness which held captive Pales- 
tinian Jewish life and theology. 

"As the Apostles were able to bear them, the great 
truths of the Gospel were made known to them : such 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 221 

as the universality of redemption through the blood of 
Christ, the relation of grace to the law, salvation open 
to all believers without any legal condition, the exalted 
character of the person of Christ, and the glory which 
awaits those who trust in Him. These truths kept on 
growing, expanding, and asserting themselves, until 
Judaism, having become completely undermined, tot- 
tered and fell. Was its overthrow a loss or gain? 
Though exceedingly painful to thousands of Jewish 
Christians, its demolition was the necessary condition 
of the progress of the Church. It is always thus. The 
narrow, the provisional, the immature must give way 
to make room for the broader, truer, deeper, and more 
advanced. When the Jewish economy passed away, 
that which was of permanent value in it did not per- 
ish, but was taken up and appropriated by Christianity. 
The moral law was not abrogated, nor the prophets 
undervalued, nor the psalms set aside, nor the history 
of the Hebrew nation ignored. All these have been 
apprehended more and more in their true relation to 
Jesus Christ. 

Kevelation was progressive under the Old Testa- 
ment dispensation, and it is also such under the 
New. We are today learning Divine truths which 
former ages did not know. Jesus Christ has opened 
the kingdom of heaven to all believers, and to every 
age He reveals new truth through the Spirit. But if 
we take this position, do we not disparage the New 
Testament Scriptures ? No. On the contrary, we 
establish them. To the Apostles was granted a special 
fulness of the Spirit to enable them to properly pre- 
serve and transmit to us the words and acts of Christ, 
and to grasp in germinal form the truth as it is in 
Jesus, and thus to lay the foundation upon which the 
superstructm-e of the Church has been erected. By 
founding the Church, and giving us the New Testament 
Scriptures, Jesus Christ, through the Apostles, planted 



222 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

the seed which has since developed into the historic 
tree of Christianity. 

* 'A tree, although controlled by the life of the seed, 
is vastly more than a seed. To say that the tree is 
contained in the seed is only a half truth. It is just as 
true to say that a tree is the product of the soil, the 
atmosphere, light, and heat. A living germ and a 
proper environment are both necessary to produce a 
tree. The Christian Church can never transcend the 
life of the seed from which it has sprung, nor outgrow 
the inspired Scriptures of the New Testament; but the 
truth which was germinally grasped and uttered by the 
Apostles has been growing for nineteen centuries, 
adapting itself to all the varying conditions which a 
constantly changing environment has brought forward, 
but has not yet been unfolded in all its length and 
breadth and depth and height. 

*' The conflict of the early Church with Ebionitism 
and Gnosticism, with Apollinarianism and Eutychian- 
ism, furnished the occasion which enabled her to come 
to a proper apprehension of the true nature of the 
person of Christ and of the Godhead ; the struggle of 
Athanasius with Arius and nearly all Christendom of 
the equality of Christ with the Father, and the dis- 
cussion of Augustine with Pelagius of the true nature of 
sin and grace. During these early centuries were for- 
mulated also the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, which 
embody the great objective facts of revelation, to a con- 
sciousness of which the Church had gradually come. 

" For more than a thousand years, to the Keforma- 
tion of the sixteenth century, Roman thought and or- 
ganization dominated Christendom . But when the Ger- 
manic nations, so long under the tutelage of Latin Chris- 
tianity, reached their majority, drawing new inspiration 
from the Bible, their religious life began to overflow the 
corrupt, unnatural, and narrow limitations set by the 
Roman Church, and gave proper recognition and empha- 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 223 

sis to the importance of justification by faith and the 
supremacy of sacred Scripture. 

The Reformation Churches did not form a new 
creed. They adhered to the old creed and gave it special 
honor. But they studied the Scriptures, and drew up 
confessions and catechisms for the instruction of the 
people. These confessions and catechisms contain an 
explanation of the doctrines and duties of our holy reli- 
gion as understood by those who wrote them. Their 
apprehension was a great advance on that of the Roman 
Church. 

Has the Protestant Church made any progress since 
that time ? There certainly has been change, and we 
believe progress, too; for while the great facts of revela- 
tion, as set forth in the Apostles' and Nicene creeds, are 
always the Fame, men's views in regard to them are not 
stationary. No two men think alike. Much less can a 
former generation do the thinking of a later generation . 

The Reformed Church believes in the unchanging 
creed of all the Christian ages; but as the Reformers, in 
explaining the creed, stated Christian truth under a new 
aspect, because in their thinking they had outgrown the 
theology of the middle ages, so has the Church of today 
outgrown the theology of the sixteenth century. No 
one believes in Luther's catechism, in the Westminster 
Confession, the Thirty-nine Articles, or the Heidelberg 
Catechism in the same sense in which the authors of 
these formulas believed in them. Slowly and imper- 
ceptibly the change has been wrought, but it has come. 
Forces have been at work which have completely under- 
mined some of the theological tenets of the Reformation, 
and at present we are in a transition period from the 
influence of which none of us can escape. Calvinism 
has lost its grip on the thinking of the age. The lead- 
ers of thought no longer believe in a limited atonement, 
but have come to realize that there is a wideness in God's 
mercy like the wideness of the sea. Reprobation and 
preterition are no longer tenable. The forensic or jur- 



224 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

idical theory of the atonement, the verbal inspiration of 
sacred Scripture, the Divine right of any one form of 
Church government, the creation of the world as the 
result of a succession of Divine fiats, can no longer be 
maintained. 

"On the contrary, not the elimination, as is often 
asserted, but the naturalness of the supernatural, and 
the importance of the study of the Bible as literature, 
in order that we may properly appreciate the Divine 
inspiration which lives and breathes within its sacred 
pages, are profoundly recognizgd and strongly empha- 
sized. The immanence of God in the world of nature 
and of humanity; the unique position of Jesus Christ, 
the source, the inspiration, and the goal of all true re- 
ligion and spiritual life, of whom, and by whom, and 
for whom are all things and all men ; the far-reaching 
significance of the ethical element in the consideration 
of all the questions which have to do with the personal 
history as well as the final destiny of the individual and 
of the race ; and lastly the pressing claims of the unsolved 
but fascinating problems of the entire field of eschatol- 
ogy, are crowding in upon us with ever-growing impa- 
tience. So-called 'creed revision,' whether in actual 
process of execution or not, in public Church assemblies, 
is going forward irresistibly in our minds. We cannot 
put oureelves into the position of those who framed the 
confessional standards to which we subscribe. We live 
in the latter part of the nineteenth century, and the 
question is whether we will open or shut our eyes to the 
truths which Jesus Christ is making known . The world 
moves. Traditionalists cannot stop it. Great minds, 
big with new ideas, like Christopher Columbus, will not 
rest until they have discovered a passage-way to unex- 
plored fields of truth, vast in extent and possessed of 
boundless w^ealth. 

* ' Of course we must remember that all recently dis- 
covered truth is surrounded by dross, and lies close to 
error. Modern Christian scholarship, in studying the 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 225 

Bible as literature, and in breaking the chains which 
bound it to the dead orthodoxy of the past, has no doubt 
made mistakes. If it has demonstrated, as it claims to 
have done, that the Bible is not inerrant, it has also, at 
the same time, most conclusively proven that it too is 
not, by any means, inerrant. Nevertheless, it has cer- 
tainly given us a practically new Book, which we recog- 
nize as most wonderfully human, being beset by the 
same limitations that control the writings of all honest 
but uninspired authors, and yet, at the same time, still 
more wonderfully divine because saturated with the 
moral and spiritual truths revealed by the Holy Ghost; 
filled with the mind and heart and life of God; inspired 
in a special sense ; the ultimate rule of Christian faith 
and practice. 

Our blessed Savior, however, speaks to this age not 
only through biblical learning. He also challenges our 
attention through marvellous discoveries in the domain 
of science. He is the truth and the inspiration of the 
truth in all departments of knowledge. And just this 
is the greatest word which He is uttering at the present 
time — namely, the position which He, in His own per- 
son, occupies as the life and the light of the world. 
Slowly, very slowly, but surely, theology, science, and 
philosophy are beginning to recognize the Christological 
principle as fundamental to every other. At the present 
time the evolutionary hypothesis dominates all scientific 
thought. It is the category of the age ; and no thinking 
man can place himself outside it, or limit the scope of 
its operation. And what has come to be the prevailing 
tendency of the theory of evolution ? A few years ago 
it was supposed to be of necessity wholly atheistic. This 
conception of its trend is now largely given up. 

** Herbert Spencer, for instance, tells us that there is 
needed a revised ideal of life; that to be a successful 
warrior was the highest ideal among all ancient peoples ; 
that in modern civilized society the duty to work has 
taken the place of the duty to fight, and that he thinks 



226 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

this will not survive, but that when there is fully recog- 
nized the truth that moral beauty is higher than intel- 
lectual power, such beauty, culminating in the desire to 
be loved for the sake of moral worth, will be the char- 
acteristic variation in the coming man that will survive. 
Well may we ask, Where, then, shall this ideal be found 
except in Jesus Christ, who is the realization in past 
history of the highest ideals of the future ? 

Watch,' says a recent writer, ' the outlines of the 
face which the unfaltering hand of modern thought, 
guided by a belief in the theory of evolution, and work- 
ing according to the methods of Darwinism, is inevita- 
bly though unconsciously drawing. Watch it as it 
limns the salient features. It is the face of the man 
who best serves his fellow-men. Watch it! Whose is 
that face emerging from the canvas? What but the 
very face of the one Man who, above all other men, 
* ' gave His life a ransom for many ? ' ' What but the face 
of Jesus Christ ? Literally and truly the face of Jesus 
Christ? The outlines are only broadly given as yet. 
Many details are to be worked in; but yet the Son of 
Man is there. To fill in that outline, in all its marvel- 
lous beauty and force, we turn to our Bibles. But the 
one fits with the other, so far as they touch upon com- 
mon points with absolute accuracy.' 

' 'Again, the philosophy which awakens the quickest 
response among the profoundest scholars of the age is 
that which makes the Christ idea fundamental in its 
thinking. The coming system of thought in New Eng- 
land, imported from older centres of learning, is plainly 
Chris tological. 

The same thing is pre-eminently true of theology. 
From all sides comes testimony, bearing witness to the 
great fact that the problems of the age, pressing in upon 
the Church, demolishing traditional beliefs, opening 
questions that had long been settled, and producing a 
feeling of uncertainty in many minds, can be answered 
only by recognizing the person of Christ as the centre 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 227 

from which all theological investigations must proceed, 
as well as the goal to which they must tend. 

Surely the Lord Jesus is saying many things to us 
w^hich former ages were not able to bear. May He give 
us strength to meet all that is before us, in humble reli- 
ance upon His grace, with fearless courage, unswerving 
faith and abiding confidence. 

But however much we may receive and learn in this 
world, how much more will He not tell us, when the 
night is past and the day breaks, when we shall know 
Him as also we are known, when we shall see Him as 
He is, and shall dwell forever with the Lord in that city 
which hath foundations, whose Maker and Builder is 
God!" 

The Messenger for May 9, 1895, contains an 
address which Dr. Gerhard delivered in New York 
City on April 30, 1895, at the reception given by 
the Presbyterian Union to the Western Section of 
the Executive Commission of the Alliance of the 
Reformed Churches holding the Presbyterian sys- 
tem. His subject was ''The Apostles' Creed and 
the Reformed Church in the United States.'' 
Among other excellent things, he said : 

The Reformed Church in the United States is Cal- 
vinistic in its doctrine on the Lord's Supper, Presby- 
terial in government, Protestant in its attitude towards 
Rome, and Catholic in its faith. We make great 
account of the Apostles' Creed, which occupies the 
central position in our doctrinal standard — the Heidel- 
berg Catechism. It is not merely in the middle of the 
book, but constitutes its beating heart and controlling 
life-principle. We believe that the Creed is a unique 
production, and, when properly understood, of great 
value and importance. Fully rounded and finally 



228 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

completed in the form in which we have it today dur- 
ing the fourth century in substance, it is nevertheless 
older than any portion of the New Testament. It did 
not spring from the Bible, and yet is in complete har- 
mony with the Scriptures. It was not composed by an 
Apostle, nor by all the Apostles conjointly, as an old 
tradition would have us believe; not by an individual 
or any number of individuals, nor by a Synod, Assem- 
bly or General Council. It did not originate at Jeru- 
salem, Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, Rome, Alexandria, 
Nice, Constantinople, or any other one place. Wherever 
the Church was established there the same Creed, in sub- 
stantially the same form, always asserted itself. Its 
phraseology was not in every case identical, but it 
always emphasized the same facts: Faith in God the 
Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth. 
The early Church , contrary to the belief of many before 
and since that time, did not believe that the world 
created God, that matter is eternal and spirit its 
sublimation and efflorescence. They saw that spirit is 
primary and fundamental, and that the infinite and 
eternal Spirit is the Creator of all things visible and 
invisible. * * * * * * * * 
The Creed brings before us what has been believed 
everywhere, always and by all. For this reason it dif- 
fers fundamentally from catechisms, denominational 
confessions and systems of doctrine. Highly important 
as these are, they are, nevertheless, secondary. They are 
what the science of biology is to life — the systematic 
classification of forms of life. Catechisms, confessions 
and systems of doctrine classify and state the doctrines 
of theologians in regard to the facts of revelation, while 
the Creed sets before us the facts themselves in their 
naked simplicity and challenges us to receive them by 
faith and find our salvation in Him who is the sum and 
substance of them all." 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 229 

This is the concluding paragraph : 

"Now, as there is but one Christ, so there can be but 
one Church, and as He is holy so must His Church be 
holy, and as Christianity is the most perfect form of 
human life, so must it claim authority also as the most 
universal. The Church, therefore, is one, holy and 
catholic. The Reformed Church in the United States 
believes in the unity, sanctity and catholicity of the 
Church of Jesus Christ, and, therefore, also most 
heartily in the importance of Church union. We be- 
lieve in federation and confederation and in the alliance 
of the Reformed Churches holding the Presbyterian 
system. But, brethren, while we believe in union, we 
also believe in breadth. We have no denominational 
shibboleth, no sectarian war-cry around which we rally, 
and which we use to make converts. Our Church is 
positive in its teachings and upholds with unswerving 
tenacity the great truths which made possible the 
Reformation of the sixteenth century, but our sympa- 
thies also go out towards all branches of the Church 
catholic. Our motto is: Unity in essentials, in doubt- 
ful matters liberty; in all things charity. We believe 
that the only real union which is possible is that which 
is in harmony with life itself; with the great law of 
unity in the midst of manifold diversity. We believe 
that every man has the right to think for himself, and 
accordingly we allow freedom of thought and theological 
activity. We believe that what is needed is not uni- 
formity, but a union broad enough to accommodate 
different shades of thought and theology, and yet so 
related to the Christ that all the brethren will be under 
His controlling influence and power. ***** 
The Alliance of the Reformed Churches holding the 
Presbyterian system deserves great credit for the manner 
in which it conserves the achievements of the past. 
May it be also equally alive and awake to the activities 



230 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHRARD 

of the present, and thus prepare itself in the best possi- 
ble manner for the victories of the future." 

In the spring of 1895, Dr. Gerhard published the 
volume on ''Death and the Resurrection/' with the 
sub-title ''An Inquiry into their True Nature/' 
which at once created quite a stir in the theological 
world. 

In the preface he states : 

There is a growing conviction on the part of many- 
thoughtful Christians that the traditional doctrine of 
death and the resurrection needs modification and en- 
largement."* 

No one had this conviction more than did Dr. 
Gerhard, and he felt constrained to do all within 
his power to contribute toward a better understand- 
ing of these profound themes. 

He dedicated the volume "to all of God's chil- 
dren who love the truth," of whom he himself was 
one. 

In the introduction he speaks of man as "the last 
and highest product of creative energy, " but as still 
an animal, dependent upon the natural world. Man 
is subject to death : he was created mortal, but was 
capable of attaining to immortality. The body is 
mortal, and always has been. "Flesh and blood 
cannot inherit the kingdom of God." 

On the question of the mortality of the body he 
declares : 



*For another quotation from the preface, see page 157. 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 231 

*' The recognition of the important verity that man 
was created with a dying body, which fact has been 
overlooked by the traditional interpretation of what the 
Scriptures teach on the subject of human mortality, is 
of far-reaching importance to a proper apprehension of 
man's original condition, of death as the wages of sin, 
of life beyond the grave, and of the true nature of the 
resurrection. If man^s natural body was not intended to 
he immortal, then it is not likely that the resurrection, as 
the completion of his existence in the world to come, mil 
include the resuscitation or glorification of the corpse.'^ 

He realizes and asserts that, in order to properly 
answer the questions pertaining to death, the 
resurrection, and the spiritual body, it is necessary 
to form a correct conception of man's origin, and 
proceeds forthwith to discuss the subject, devoting 
the remainder of the introduction to its consider- 
ation. 

From this discussion we quote some of the most 
pertinent paragraphs : 

' ' In taking up the problem of the creation no discus- 
sion of the subject which does not make proper account 
of the evolutionary hypothesis can do anything like full 
justice to the question. For the strength of Darwin- 
ism does not lie in the felicity of its presentation — in 
the charming manner in which its author brought for- 
ward and defended his now famous theory. Its chief 
power does not flow from his ingenious array of facts 
and dextrous marshaling of plausible arguments, but 
rather from the nature of the truth involved. Charles 
Darwin first gave tangible form to a great discovery 
which was pressing for recognition because its fullness 
of time had come. Defective and insufficient as his 
hypothesis is, to him nevertheless belongs the honor of 



232 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

breaking down the last barrier to scientific recognition 
of a fundamental law whose far-reaching significance 
can scarcely be overestimated." 



*' Setting aside atheism, agnosticism, materialism and 
pantheism, we approach our subject from the Christian 
standpoint. We accept the revelation made in the per- 
son of our Lord Jesus Christ and believe in the inspira- 
tion of sacred Scripture, but we also believe that a proper 
interpretation of the Scriptures requires us to give full 
recognition to the facts which science has brought to 
light. Biblical science must go hand in hand with nat- 
ural science, and a true exegesis needs to emphasize the 
importance of both the Lower and the Higher Criticism, 
and must remember that truth, for its proper apprehen- 
sion, requires the fullest and freest discussion, and that 
only by the clear statement of new truth can the de- 
structive elements which its elaboration calls forth be 
eliminated." 



" We are beginning to see that revelation never vol- 
unteers anything that man can discover for himself. 
Therefore we prize all the more the blessed spiritual 
truths which can come to us only by faith, through the 
indwelling and enlightening power of the divine Spirit. 
When the Bible is studied and recognized as literature, 
as the product of the age and people among whom it 
originated, its inspiration and authority can be fully 
maintained at the same time that we regard its narra- 
tives, traditions, history, poetry and chronology as 
subject to precisely the same laws and limitations as 
those which enter into the writings of all honest but 
uninspired authors, except that what the Biblical 
writers produced was necessarily modified and molded 
by the moral and religious truths revealed to them by 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 233 

the Holy Ghost. The more the Bible is subjected to 
candid, critical investigation, the New Testament as 
well as the Old, the plainer it becomes that inspiration 
did not set aside the ordinary laws of acquiring knowl- 
edge. It consisted in the spiritual quickening and 
illumination of the sacred writers. LiviDg in com- 
muriion with God, they became His organs and spoke 
and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 



"Now, while science has never been able to solve 
the problem of the origin of the world, because it has 
no data to begin with, revelation is able to supply the 
necessary postulate which empirical knowledge cannot 
discover. Given an infinite, eternal, personal God, 
and all difficulties vanish. * By faith we understand 
that the worlds have been framed by the Word of God, 
so that what is seen hath not been made out of things 
which do appear.' That is the inspired answer to the 
question as to the origin of the world. It is the only 
answer that has ever been given. Men cannot by 
searching, find out God, or the relation which He 
sustains to the universe. Natural laws and phenomena 
reveal Him not. Hence the need and the blessedness 
of a supernatural revelation, which, when properly 
understood, is the antidote at once both for atheism 
and materialism, as well as for agnosticism and pan- 
theism. 

"As to the natural processes and forces through 
which the Creator has brought the world into the form 
in which we know it, the Biblical writers have no in- 
formation. They know nothing of the immensity of 
the universe, very little of the laws by which it is con- 
trolled, and are not able to interpret properly the 
phenomena of nature. Of these matters they knew no 
more than their contemporaries. God has so consti- 
tuted man that such things must always be learned, not 



234 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

from the book of revelation, but from the book of 
nature. For instance, that God made the sun and 
causes it to shine, we learn from the Bible. But how 
He made the sun and how He causes it to shine, its 
distance from the earth, what light is, and how it is 
generated and transmitted, the Biblical writers do not 
tell us, because they do not know. These queries must 
be answered from the book of nature. They belong to 
the domain of natural science."* 



* * By faith we learn the religious truth that man was 
created in the image of God and yet formed of the dust 
of the ground. But how God made man, inspiration 
did not reveal to the author of the Hebrew narrative, 
neither does it impart such information to us. There 
is room, therefore, for difference of opinion in regard to 
the method which the Creator pursued. Some intelli- 
gent people still imagine that He molded an image of 
clay. Simply to state this thought definitely, however, 
is to see that it is absurd. How then did He proceed ? 
Science says : Most likely in the same way in which He 
still makes man of the dust of the ground." 

He shows that science has an important work to 
perform, governed by the testimony of facts, and 
that we must not only admit its conclusions, but 
should thankfully accept its discoveries. Its pre- 
rogative will be to show that God's method of cre- 
ation has been by evolution, t 

* ' If science can establish this position it will in no 
way invalidate the theological truth that God is the 
Creator of all things visible and invisible. The question 

*See quotation on page 162. 
fSee quotation on page 215. 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 235 

involved has to do, not with the Creator, but with His 
method of procedure. This age needs to learn the great 
truth that God is immanent in His world in such a pro- 
found and real manner that He creates from within as 
well as from without. Through His continuous pres- 
ence in, as well as upon, that which already is, by 
means of progressive yet natural change, wrought by 
two sets of factors, an inner and an outer, or organism 
and environment. He carries forward His wonderful 
work and attains His ends." 



He tells us that what is said in Genesis 1 : 27, — 
*' So God created man in His own image, in the im- 
age of God created He him ; male and female 
created He them' ^—though stated in a sentence, 
may have taken many thousands of years to accom- 
plish. 

He then gives a brief study of man's original 
condition, physically, intellectually and morally, 
raising a number of important theological ques- 
tions, and closing with a masterly quotation from 
Professor A. B. Bruce, to show the drift of modern 
theological thought. 

The first chapter is devoted to a discussion of 
** Physical and Spiritual Death.'* It is universally 
admitted that man's body is constituted like that of 
other mammals, subject to dissolution, but it is gen- 
erally assumed that it was not always such. St. 
Paul tells us that ''the wages of sin is death," 
and ' ' it therefore has been taken for granted that 
man was either created with a body not subject to 
death, or else that the law of natural decease would 
have been suspended in his case, but for the fall, 



236 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

' by the help of the Logos empowering him to Hve 
the divine Hfe. ' '' Dr. Gerhard shows that *' death 
is the condition of life/' and "that all forms of 
terrestrial life are so constituted that unless pre- 
maturely cut short they invariably pass through 
definite cycles of birth, growth, maturity, de- 
crepitude and dissolution/' 

" When therefore St. Paul tells us that the wages of 
sin is death, the statement cannot have reference, pri- 
marily at least, to the dissolution of the body. That is 
the result of a natural process established by the Creator 
Himself, and intended to be operative in the case of man 
whether he sinned or not. 

The dilemma in which we thus find ourselves can 
be removed only when we remember that man, unlike 
other animals, has a complex nature. He has moral 
and spiritual being, as well as a physical part. He is 
a personality. Human life has a twofold potency ; on 
the one side physical, on the other spiritual, unfolding 
itself as feeling, reason and will, thus making possible 
self -consciousness, world-consciousness, and God con- 
sciousness. It is the presence of this spiritual nature 
which makes man alone of all terrestrial creatures 
capable of sin and crime, as well as of righteousness and 
virtue. If man dies in this higher part of his being, 
such death is the result of sin. 

* ' In the Bible the word death is used in two distinct 
senses. Sometimes it designates the dissolution of the 
natural body; at other times the spiritual condition 
into which the soul passes through indulgence in sin.'' 

•X- * -Jt * * -x- 

**Now it is evident that man to-day succumbs to 
physical dissolution in accordance with this same law, 
which is inherent in the entire animate creation. He 
still dies because he was created mortal. Is not then the 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 237 

conclusion irresistible that there is nothing abnormal in 
physical dissolution, but that it takes place in strict 
accordance with divinely established law? For this very 
reason Jesus Christ showed no desire to abolish the 
physical act of dying, and for the same reason, too, no 
facts can be adduced to prove that perfect union with 
God would annul the dissolution of the natural body. 
As nearly as we can get at the facts they all point in 
the opposite direction. In order that man may be 
* gloriously transformed, ' the old form must be dis- 
solved." 

With keen analysis he takes up the arguments 
of commentators and dogmaticians who defend the 
position that man would not have died if he had 
not sinned, but would have been transformed in 
some other way, and shows them to be altogether 
unsatisfactory, and that no facts can be adduced 
to substantiate their argument, the data being all 
on the other side. He shows, moreover, that the 
admission that death belongs to the normal life of 
man, and was not originated, but only modified by 
sin, answers every requirement of the statement 
advanced by some writers that there would have 
been no need of a painful dissolution in death if 
there had been no sin. 

" The prevailing characteristics of death, as it holds 
sway among mankind, have been acquired through sin. 
But it is a mistake to say that sin is the cause of all 
suffering and pain. With a highly organized nervous 
system no act of moral freedom could have raised man 
above the feeling of pain produced by a crushed finger 
or hand. And with a material body, liable to all the 
accidents and necessities common to other animals, it 



238 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

is certainly a question whether man would have escaped 
entirely, even though he had not sinned, such diseases 
as are caused by the presence of noxious substances, 
found in the air which we breathe, often in the food 
which we eat and the water which we drink, as well as 
by changes of temperature and climate. The earth 
brought forth thorns and thistles before man was cre- 
ated. * * * The perishableness of man's natural 
body has indeed been greatly increased by sin. Many 
diseases can be directly traced to its presence and 
power, and others are due to it, although they cannot 
be thus traced. So much so is this the case that it is 
impossible to separate such sufferings and physical in- 
firmities as are due to the fact that man was originally 
constituted with a mortal body, whose mortality must 
necessarily manifest itself through decay and death, 
from the sorrows, miseries and diseases which are due 
to the accumulated moral corruption of mankind, in 
which we see the manifest presence of the wages of sin. 
All mankind are therefore familiar with physical death, 
not as it would have occurred in the absence of sin, but 
as it takes place with sin in the world as a tremendous 
power of evil and destruction." 



** But it is in the spiritual realm that sin does its 
greatest injury. When Mr. Herbert Spencer tells us 
that an organism is alive when it is in correspondence 
with its environment he gives expression to a profound 
truth which admits of universal application. The 
environment consists of all that exists outside of the 
living organism itself. But each creature can be in 
correspondence only with that for which it has capac- 
ity. ***** It differs according to the nature 
of that with which it is in correspondence. The 
same thing is true of man. Being not only formed of 
the dust of the ground, but also created in the image 
of God, he is truly alive when he is in correspondence, 



DR, GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 239 

not only with the natural world, but also in correspon- 
dence or communion with God. Whatever interferes 
with that communion imperils his spiritual life. When 
it ceases altogether he is dead. The approach of this 
condition may manifest itself through indifference, 
carnal security, unbelief, and other forms of secret 
opposition to God, or it may disclose itself through the 
grosser forms of vice and immorality, cruelty and degra- 
dation, but in every instance it is the same in principle. 

"When therefore our Lord Jesus Christ abolished 
death He did it, not by setting aside the physical act 
of dying, but by changing its character, and by bring- 
ing our humanity, in His own person, into full ethical 
and spiritual correspondence with God, whereby He 
displaced spiritual death with spiritual life. By the 
free activity of His will. He separated Himself, during 
His entire earthly sojourn, from the evil that is in the 
world. This involved Him continually in contradic- 
tion with sinners, and made His death the supreme 
moral crisis of the world. In spite of all possible forms 
of opposition. He passed through a unique process of 
self -perfecting and was obedient unto death, even the 
death of the cross, which was at once both the con- 
summation of the world's unrighteousness and the 
revelation of God's infinite compassion, for in the 
boundless sympathy of His love Jesus Christ felt the sin 
of mankind as His own, and, as our High Priest, was 
able to bear the guilt of the race upon His heart. 

" The sting of death is sin, because sin separates the 
soul from God, the source of life. This sting our blessed 
Savior felt in its most bitter and terrible form. With- 
out a murmur he passed through his betrayal, condem- 
nation and crucifixion. The crown of thorns, the 
scourging and the physical agony which He endured 
upon the cross could wring not a single expression of 
pain from Him. But when the iron entered His soul, 
when His spirit felt the sting of separation from God, 
then came that awful exclamation: ' My God, my God, 



240 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

why hast Thou forsaken me?' What a gleam of light 
that cry throws athwart the lurid sky of history ! For a 
small moment He lost His hold upon God ; for a small 
moment the precious organism of His being fell out of 
conscious relation to its environment; for a small 
moment He tasted the bitter cup which is the portion 
of those who pass into outer darkness and are lost. 
Then He recovered Himself, and, with a thrill of joy, 
He feebly cried, ' It is finished,' and gave up the ghost. 
" The victory was won. The wages of sin was paid. 
Death was robbed of its sting. Henceforth the dissolu- 
tion of his natural body is to the Christian much less an 
object of dread. The horror of great darkness cannot 
touch him. His life is hid with Christ in God, and in 
his Redeemer he passes through the dark river, conscious 
of the presence of One who inspires hope and confidence. 
Because of the spiritual relation which the believer 
sustains to Him, Jesus Christ can say: * He that believ- 
eth on me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoso- 
ever liveth and belie veth on me shall never die.' In 
making this statement our blessed Lord disregards phys- 
ical dissolution in comparison with that which is really 
and only death. Spiritual union with Him does not 
annul natural decease, but so transforms and changes 
it that it loses altogether the character imparted to it by 
sin, and becomes merely the passage-way to a higher 
form of existence." 

*'The Future Life" is the title of the second 
chapter. In the opening paragraphs Dr. Gerhard 
speaks of the human body. The body is more 
than simply matter ; it is matter in a certain con- 
dition. * * The material of which it is composed is 
never at rest, but in constant motion, and there- 
fore at no two moments precisely the same.*' All 
the matter in our bodies is not only constantly 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 241 

changing, but, after certain longer or shorter inter- 
vals, is entirely changed. 

'* Nevertheless the body itself, as to its identity and 
individuality, undergoes no change. It is always the 
same body. This plainly shows that it is more than 
simply matter. Matter organized and pervaded by the 
life principle constitutes the body. When the indi- 
vidual dies the material of which his natural body is 
composed at the moment of death becomes the corpse. 
Strictly speaking, the corpse is not the body, but only 
the matter of which it was made up at death. 

" So soon as life ceases, decomposition begins. Since 
the vital force no longer holds inorganic chemical action 
in check, a process of dissolution commences, which, 
unless it be arrested, goes forward until the corpse has 
been resolved into its original elements, or has been 
reorganized into some other body, vegetable, animal or 
human. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, 
describes the process. * * * Whatever the condition to 
which it is subjected the corpse is always essentially the 
same — inorganic matter that has lost all connection with 
the personal life of the individual by which it was for- 
merly controlled." 

After thus speaking of the disposition of the 
material body, he raises the question concerning 
the future life : ' ' If a man die, shall he live again V ' 
He takes up some of the arguments which are ad- 
duced to give a negative answer to this vital ques- 
tion, and shows the inability of science to answer a 
question which falls within the realm of the 
spiritual. * 

He says : 

*For a statement on this point, made almost thirty years before, see the 
quotation on pages 191 and 192. Note that the date of the article on "Life 
Beyond the Grave," in the last line on page 190, should read 1878, Instead 
of 1898. 



242 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

Therefore we think it is better to admit frankly 
that immortality is incapable of metaphysical or scien- 
tific demonstration, and that we believe in it, as Mr. 
Fiske says, not as we accept the demonstrable truths of 
philosophy, but by a supreme act of faith in the reason- 
ableness of God's work. ***** -^or this 
cause man's intuitive belief in immortality must ever 
be regarded as worthy of special consideration. This 
intuition forms the point of connection between the 
natural and the supernatural in relation to our knowl- 
edge of a future life. Science interprets for us the facts 
of nature, but it cannot account for the origin of things, 
neither can it discover to us the higher truths of the 
spiritual world. These lie beyond its province, and are 
learned only through faith. * * * * There is a 
certitude of faith, which is as real in reference to spir- 
itual truths as the certitude of scientific knowledge in 
reference to natural truths. The deepest evidence of 
the being of God is not furnished by the so-called proofs 
of His existence, but consists in His own self-authenti- 
cation to the human spirit. Accordingly we find that 
the Bible does not set to work to prove the being of 
God, but assumes it throughout. For the same reason 
the Scriptures do not labor to prove man's immortality, 
but at once assume it, because man has imbedded in 
the depths of his soul an intuitive sense of immortality 
that only needs to be unfolded by the light of revela- 
tion to become clear and substantial knowledge." 
******* 

"Our conclusion, therefore, is that immortality is 
reasonable, that it is in accordance with our intuitive 
beliefs, and that it has been clearly revealed by Jesus 
Christ." 

The remainder of the chapter is devoted to a dis- 
cussion of the question : " How does man live after 
death ?" and appeals to science and the Scriptures 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 243 

for their testimony. In addition to quotations on 
the same subject given in another part of this chap- 
ter, * we give the following : 

'* The dead, being bereft of their natural bodies, can- 
not occupy space in the sense in which we do so on this 
mundane sphere. When a man dies he departs. The 
earth is no longer capable of furnishing an abiding 
place for him. He needs a new environment, an en- 
circling world of a different order, a sphere of existence 
unlike that to which he was accustomed here. Another 
earthly habitation entirely free from sin and misery, 
larger and more beautiful, lying somewhere above and 
beyond us, would be nothing to him. So soon as he 
undergoes physical dissolution he is absent from his 
natural body and from the world. He can no longer 
respond to them . If he is to exist anywhere it must be 
in another world of a different order, furnishing a new 
environment." 

******* 

" Since, then, the heavenly world is a place, deceased 
Christians, to dwell there, cannot be wholly disem- 
bodied. In some sense the dead must still have bodies. 
But two things are evident. They do not live in their 
earthly, sensuous bodies, and they are not yet what 
they shall become in the final resurrection." 



** When a man dies, the matter of which his body is 
composed and which is pervaded by the life principle 
at the moment of death is abandoned. But such is the 
relation of the soul and body that self-consciousness 
without bodily organization of some kind is incon- 
ceivable and cannot be considered. But why should 
we endeavor to conceive of such an impossibility ? 

*See pages 192 and 193. 



244 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

Science is here at one with revelation. The Scriptures 
do not maintain that there is a future Hfe of the soul 
separately taken. They do not teach the immortality 
of the soul, but the immortality of man. They do not 
say that the soul is immortal, or that it is separable 
from the body. What is the body? We have seen 
that it is not matter, but matter in a certain relation, 
matter organized and pervaded by the life of the indi- 
vidual. When he dies the corpse is dissolved, but the 
body does not perish any more than the soul. The law 
of bodily life is not annihilated. If the person survives, 
then the body must survive, else man would be a crea- 
ture other than himself in the unseen world. The 
continuation of personal identity demands that the 
somatic principle, as well as the psychic and pneu- 
matic, should be preserved. 

Now what do the Scriptures teach with reference to 
man's bodily life in the world to come, that is, with 
reference to the resurrection ? Evidently the Christ 
idea of the resurrection is, not that it is an isolated 
event, which takes place at the end of the world, but 
that it is a present reality; that it begins in this life, is 
continued at death and completed at the final consum- 
mation of all things. 

Science says : Self -consciousness, without corporeity, 
is inconceivable. The Scriptures say: Immortality 
involves the resurrection. Both agree that to be real, 
life must be embodied. The Scriptures speak of a 
spiritual body which is totally different from the nat- 
ural or psychical body. Science demands something 
of the same kind when it tells us that to account for 
the unity of consciousness we must assume a unity of 
psychical powers in one center. * * * * rpj^^ 
latest word of science is that the human soul cannot 
exist as pure spirit. Put this beside the Scriptural 
doctrine of the resurrection, and the two ideas answer 
to one another. * ' 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 245 

The third chapter is devoted to an examination 
and criticism of * 'Ancient Beliefs,*' from which 
space forbids us to quote, and in the fourth chapter 
the profound subject ''Jesus Christ and the Future 
Life' ' is considered. Here he takes up the views of 
the later Jews and the teachings of Jesus on the 
future life. He states that one of the terms which 
Jesus Christ used with greatly added meaning and 
force is the word resurrection. He brought life 
and immortality to light. 

The more we reflect on the words of Christ, the more 
evident it becomes that to Him the resurrection was not 
simply a far-away event, but also a present reality. 
The dead not only rise at the last day, but, like Abra- 
ham, Isaac and Jacob, they are now in a risen state; 
else God were the God of the dead, which cannot be, 
for all live unto Him. * * * The resurrection is both a 
process and an event. It is sudden in its consumma- 
tion, but slow and gradual in its previous development. 
It starts as a principle and unfolds as a life until, when 
the time is fully ripe, its completion shall be suddenly 
consummated. This is much more in accord with what 
we know of God's usual methods of working than the 
view which makes it a disconnected event in the distant 
future." 

The next two chapters deal with "The Resurrec- 
tion of the Dead'' and "The Resurrection of 
Christ." He says : 

"The resurrection of Jesus Christ is, therefore, in 
some respects like that of all men. Being truly human 
He passes through every stage of human life. He lives 
and dies and is raised. But in other respects it is dif- 
ferent, because He takes away the sting of death and 



246 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

robs the grave of its terrors, and because in Him the 
resurrection is, for the first time, fully consummated. 
He was not only raised into the condition into which 
all men are raised at death, but He also outstripped all 
other men, and conquered death and Hades, because on 
the third day, and during the forty days that preceded 
His ascension. He was advanced into that fully matured 
and final state, unto which other men attain only in 
the ultimate consummation of all things at the end of 
the world. The resurrection, considered as a birth into 
a new form of existence, takes place in the case of all 
men at death, and so took place in the case of Jesus 
Christ, but in Him it also, for the first time, attained 
to full development, having reached its perfection in 
the glorified form in which, after his reappearance on 
earth, He ascended into heaven. For this reason it is 
said that He was raised on the third day, and that He 
is the first-fruits of them that are asleep." 



The spiritual body may unfold almost instantane- 
ously at death, like a blossom, and thus form the neces- 
sary medium of expression for the soul, which has been 
growing during its earthly sojourn period, and which 
therefore at once needs not merely the nucleus of a body, 
but a body in some sense adequate to its maturing 
wants, and yet that body, like the fruit contained in 
undeveloped form in the blossom, may not reach its full 
completion before Christ shall come to be glorified in 
His saints. This final coming of our Lord, like the 
resurrection of the dead, considered under one view, is 
a process and takes place gradually ; under another view, 
when regarded as to its consummation, it is an event, 
sudden and all-pervading, like the lightning, which, 
after it has long been gathering without observation, 
suddenly flashes out of the east and shineth even unto 
the west.'* 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 247 

He declares that the resurrection of Jesus Christ 
from the dead is the most momentous fact in 
human history, and that ' ' its results are more far- 
reaching than, even after nineteen centuries have 
elapsed, we can properly estimate. " The greater 
part of the chapter on this subject is devoted to 
a discussion of the reality of Christ's resurrection, 
the nature of His body, the disposition of His 
corpse, and His manifestations to His disciples and 
friends. He concludes the chapter with these 
statements : 

" The resurrection of Jesus Christ, therefore, accom- 
plished a two-fold purpose. On the one hand, He died 
for our offenses and was raised again for our justifica- 
tion. As the Head of the race, and thus fully iden- 
tified with His brethren, He bared His bosom to the 
sting of death, which is sin. This sting He felt in its 
most bitter form on the cross, when He cried out: ' My 
God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me!' But 
when He said, 'It is fiDished,' and commended His 
spirit to the Father, His heart once more rested in God 
and the victory was fully won. Through suffering, 
agony and death. He brought our humanity in His 
own person unto the most complete, voluntary union 
with God, and thus filled it with the divine life. In 
dying under the curse of sin He nevertheless also rose 
above it. The hour of His apparent defeat was the 
hour of His final victory. By the surrender of His will 
to the very last He became obedient unto death, even 
the death of the cross, and at the same time rose in 
moral grandeur until He was fully perfected. Having 
died for our sins in this manner and made atonement 
for us, He could not but be in His risen state our 
justification. 



248 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

** Jesus Christ, however, not only overcame death. 
He was also glorified. This is the second purpose 
which His resurrection accomplished. He rose above 
the effects of sin, and He rose above the conditions of 
our natural life. It behooved Him to suffer and to 
enter into His glory. * * * jj^ Yiq,s passed into a 
new and higher form of life ; into a condition which 
supersedes the present, is different from and an advance 
upon it. He can say: 'Fear not; I am the first and 
the last, and the Living one ; and I was dead, and be- 
hold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of 
death and of Hades." 

In speaking of ' ' The Forty Days, '* in the seventh 
chapter, he says : 

**Our Savior's manifestations of His risen life, of 
which there are ten recorded instances, served a double 
purpose. They made known and enforced the reality 
of His victory over sin and death, and also, at the same 
time, called increasing attention to the fact that the 
super-mundane world was now His home. In this way 
His epiphanies became revelations of the silent world 
of the dead and of the nature of His activity there. He 
showed Himself to be still the same self-sacrificing, 
loving Savior — the Good Shepherd caring for the sheep 
and gathering them to His bosom." 

He refers to Christ's descent into Hades, speak- 
ing of His activity there as spoken of by the 
Apostles, and concludes v/ith His exaltation to the 
right hand of .God at the close of the forty days. 

'* The exalted Christ is the Christ of all times, of all 
places, and of all nations. He is such, because He has 
gone to the Father into the fullness of His wisdom, 
power, and gracious dynamic omnipresence, to be Head 
over all things to the Church, which is His body, the 
fullness of Him that filleth all in all." 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 249 

We have noted that the title of the fifth chapter 
is '* The Resurrection of the Dead.'' That of the 
eighth chapter is ''The Resurrection from the 
Dead." He makes this distinction: The former 
includes both the resurrection of life and the resur- 
rection of judgment, and is predicable of all per- 
sons ; the latter is confined to the resurrection of 
life, and is applicable only to the saints, in whom 
eternal life finds adequate expression in body, soul 
and spirit. 

The new life abounding in the believer already fills 
him in this world with a deeper and stronger vitality 
than that which merely natural and unregenerated men 
possess, but when at last its powers are revealed in all 
their fullness in a perfected spiritual nature in the 
heavenly world, then only will its real blessedness and 
wealth adequately appear." 

In the ninth chapter he speaks of ''The Great 
Consummation," from which we quote only the 
opening paragraph : 

"The second advent, like the resurrection, is both a 
process and an event. It took place essentially on the 
day of Pentecost, when Jesus Christ came not in the 
flesh but in the Spirit. In His ascension He passed 
beyond the limitations of time and space and entered 
into the active possession of all the attributes of Deity. 
Through the outpouring of the Holy Ghost He came to 
His disciples and revealed Himself in them as a new 
life. This was the beginning of His second advent. 
Like all forms of life it starts as a principle, includes 
various stages of progress and moves forward towards 
completion. It is not an isolated event that will burst 
upon the world without processes and without prepara- 



250 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

tion. It involves seasons of growth, epochs of transi- 
tion and a final consummation. In its ultimate form 
it is the fulfilment and manifestation of what has 
gone before." 

^ H: 4: H: ^ H: 

**At present Jesus Christ approaches His people both 
from within and from without. He comes in them as an 
experience, and to them in His providence. His final 
advent will be of a similar nature. It will be His special 
manifestation of Himself in His people ; also to them 
and to all the world. He will come to be glorified in 
His saints, and to render vengeance to them that know 
not God and obey not the gospel." 

Assuming that ''the thousand years" of the Book 
of Revelation is a symbolical number, he makes this 
closing: statement on the ''millennium :" 

We look upon the millennium as the closing period 
in the history of the Church, corresponding with 
the forty days' interval between our Saviour's resurrec- 
tion and ascension, during which time special manifes- 
tations will be granted to the faithful like those to the 
disciples after His resurrection. As such it will neces- 
sarily be a time of transition, involving momentous con- 
sequences both for the kingdom of grace and for the 
kingdom of evil, and accounting for all that is said of 
the devil being bound and Christ reigning with His 
saints on earth. It will be the blooming time in the 
history of the Church when her true glory will become 
manifest as never before. At the close of this period 
the last great struggle shall begin, which will be termi- 
nated only through the final coming of our Lord to 
usher in the Kingdom of Glory." 

The last two chapters of the book are devoted 
respectively to a study of the fifteenth chapter of 
First Corinthians and a study of misapplied texts. 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 251 

This book was the crown and glory of Dr. Ger- 
hard's theological thinking. It was not hastily 
gotten up, but embodied mature thought on pro- 
found themes which had occupied his attention 
from the very beginning of his ministry. Some of 
the thoughts he had expressed in one of his early 
Review articles were almost bodily incorporated 
into the book, showing that even then he had 
definite views on these great subjects. 

The volume was variously received, meeting with 
approval and commendation on the part of some, 
and calling forth expressions of disapproval and 
condemnation on the part of others. 

It was reviewed and criticized in the Reformed 
Church Messenger, the Reformed Church Record, 
Reformed Quarterly Review, The Outlook, the New 
York Independent, The Reading Times, and a large 
number of other papers and magazines. We regret 
that we cannot quote all that was said concerning 
the book to show how variously it was received, but 
must confine ourselves to but one notice. 

Prof. William Rupp, D.D., after reading the book 
in manuscript, before its publication, says : 

We have no hesitation in saying that, in our opin- 
ion, it is a very able discussion of a very profound and 
interesting subject, or rather of a series of subjects, for 
there are a number of topics, Biblical, theological, and 
scientific, that come in for more or less extensive con- 
sideration, all, however, bearing upon the elucidation 
of the main theme. 

The book shows wide reading on the part of its 
author. It has not been a hasty production. The 



252 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

author has gone generally through the literature of his 
subject, and has written thoughtfully, cautiously, and 
with a masterly grasp of his material. The style is 
plain, direct, and forcible. One need never be at a loss 
as to the meaning of a sentence. The writer is one who 
understands his own thought, and consequently is able 
to make others understand it. The thought, of course, 
is always profound, but so clearly expressed that any 
intelligent man or woman will be able to comprehend it. 
The book was not written for ministers only, but for the 
Christian and thinking public generally ; and any reader 
of ordinary intelligence, we are sure, will find it to be 
interesting, instructive and profitable, particularly as it 
deals ably and honestly with a subject in which we are 
all personally interested." 

Whilst most of the reviews were more or less 
favorable to the book, some unfavorable criticisms 
were also written, foremost among which is a schol- 
arly article in the Reformed Quarterly Review for 
October, 1895, by the Rev. John M. Titzel, D.D., 
of Lancaster, Pa. He does not wish to be under- 
stood as impugning the Christian character of the 
author, but merely as pointing out errors into which 
he believes he has inadvertently fallen. He points 
out some ungrammatical and badly constructed sen- 
tences, endeavors to show the defects in the method 
of treating the subjects under consideration, and 
calls attention to ' ' a notable looseness of reasoning, 
and an unguardedness of expression.'' In his 
opinion, the views set forth with regard to the true 
nature of death and the resurrection are altogether 
unsatisfactory and create more difficulties than they 
remove. He concludes by stating that he differs 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 253 

greatly from the author as regards the true nature 
of death and the resurrection. 

To this criticism Dr. Gerhard felt constrained 
to reply, which he did with considerable feeling, 
not unmingled with sarcasm, in a lengthy article in 
the Review for January, 1896. He takes up the 
successive arguments of his critic and answers 
them, closing with a number of quotations from the 
favorable criticisms he had received on the book. 

In the Messenger for August 29, 1895, he has an 
article on ''A Visit to Chautauqua," in which he 
speaks of the pleasure and profit he derived from 
his visit to that famous literary resort. In subse- 
quent numbers he wrote on ' 'A Sunday at Chau- 
tauqua," and ''At Dinner with Principal A. M. 
Fairbairn." 

Dr. Gerhard could be controversial on occasion, 
and whenever he entered into debate or discussion 
of any kind he was a difficult opponent. In the 
Messenger, February 27, 1896, he raises the ques- 
tion, ''Are Altars Reformed?" He gives an affirm- 
ative answer, and criticises a fellow-minister for 
having an altar, pictures, an organ and stained 
glass windows with churchly emblems in his church, 
while in theory condemning these things. This was 
followed by a number of articles, some of them 
written under the impulse of highly- wrought feel- 
ing, and the controversy might have continued in- 
definitely had not the editor of the Messenger an- 
nounced that with the article by Dr. C. S. Gerhard 



254 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

on ''Altars Are Reformed/' in the issue of April 9, 

1896, the discussion would close. 

In The Pulpit, A Magazine of Sermons, for Octo- 
ber, 1896, we find a sermon on ''The Peace of 
God,'' based on Isaiah 26 : 3, "Thou wilt keep him 
in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee." 
This is accompanied by an excellent portrait of 
Dr. Gerhard. 

In the Reformed Church Review for January, 

1897, we find an article on ' ' The Ever-living 
Christ," which is an extensive review of the book 
by Dr. George A. Gordon entitled "The Christ of 
Today." 

An abstract of a sermon preached to his congrega- 
tion in Reading on "Jonah and the Whale" is given 
in the Messenger, February 25, 1897, and December 
30, of the same year, appears a beautiful fraternal 
tribute to "Dr. Bausman's Work in Reading." 

The Reformed Church Review for January, 1898, 
contains the last article Dr. Gerhard contributed to 
this excellent church magazine. It is entitled 
"The Bible and the Word of God," and is in har- 
mony with and an elaboration upon some of his 
other contributions on this subject. 

In the Messenger for March 31, 1898, he wrote on 
"The Sacrifice of Our Lord," and in the issue for 
April 13, 1899, there is an abstract from a sermon 
on " The Time of the Resurrection." He holds to 
the later view which he advocated in his book on 
"Death and the Resurrection." 

In 1901 two articles appear in the Messenger, one, 



DR. GERHARD AS AN AUTHOR 255 

on January 10, entitled ''The Nineteenth Century 
Compared with the Last and all Previous Cen- 
turies," and the other on ''When are we Judged, 
at the End of the World, or when we Die?" 

In this year he published his little volume entitled 
"Bible Studies, in the Form of Questions and 
Answers, for Children," an excellent book of sup- 
plemental lessons for the Junior grade in the Sun- 
day-school. The brief preface speaks for itself : 

" Pictorial lessons for the Primary and Junior grades, 
and object lessons for all departments of the Sunday- 
school, are important and necessary. But children also 
need help in memorizing the leading facts and events 
recorded in the Bible. Just as they must commit to 
memory the alphabet and the multiplication table to 
make progress in the public schools, so it is requisite 
that they become familiar with the framework of the 
Bible. This want, the little booklet, herewith presented 
to the public, is intended to supply. The questions 
and answers are simple, easily committed, and yet com- 
prehensive. They are rigidly biblical, allowing the 
Bible to speak for itself, without theological bias or in- 
ference." 

In 1902, the closing year of his life, we find in 
the Messenger for January 2, an article entitled 
' ' How are We to Understand the Declaration that 
God Hardened Pharaoh's Heart ?" 

One of Dr. Gerhard's last public acts was to pre- 
side at the opening of the General Synod of the Re- 
formed Church in the United States, Baltimore, 
Md. , May 20, 1902, when he preached a sermon on 
"How Can the Church Best Meet the Spiritual 



256 THE LIFE OF DR. GERHARD 

Needs of the Age ?" It was based on Acts 6 : 5, 
''And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and 
of the Holy Ghosf 

This sermon, which aroused considerable opposi- 
tion because of its advanced views, was afterward 
published in pamphlet form and widely circulated. 
It is a masterly discourse and expresses the mature 
views of the author on theological, biblical and 
scientific, as well as on practical, questions. He 
outlined his sermon thus : 

* ' I have selected as my subject the question : How can 
the Church best meet the spiritual needs of the age? 
My answer is : First, by awakening spiritual life in indi- 
viduals and families. Secondly, by furnishiDg oppor- 
tunities for the development of this life. Thirdly, by 
helping this spiritual life to become so powerful and 
active that its possessors will be able to see beyond the 
things of sense and time into the heavenly realities of 
the world to come." 

We have endeavored to give a faithful account 
of the writings of Dr. Gerhard, in the belief that 
these would best set forth his qualifications as an 
author. We passed over some articles of local 
interest and a few others which came to our notice 
too late to be mentioned. 

Believing that he has learned to know the truth 
for which he searched so faithfully and which he 
defended so bravely, we leave him to the enjoy- 
ment of his eternal reward. 



jAN 31 1905 



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